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AN 


AMERICAN  COMMENTARY 


ON    THE 


NEW   TESTAMENT. 


EDITED  BY 

ALVAH  HOVEY.  D.D.,  LL.D. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

AMERICAN    BAPTIST   PUBLICATION   SOCIETY, 

1420  Chestnut  Street. 


COMMENTARY 


ON    THE 


Pastoral  Epistles, 


FIRST  AND  SECOND  TIMOTHY  AND  TITUS; 


AND    THE 


EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON. 


BY 

H.  HARVEY,  D.  D. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

AMERICAN  BAPTIST  PUBLICATION  SOCIETY, 

1420  Chestnut  Street. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1890,  by  the 

AMERICAN    BAPTIST  PUBLICATION   SOCIETY, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  "Washington. 


PREFACE. 


In  preparing  these  notes  on  the  Pastoral  Epistles  and  the  Epistle  to  Philemon, 
I  have  made  the  version  of  King  James  the  basis,  in  accordance  with  the  general 
plan  of  this  work,  but  have  also  consulted  throughout  the  Revised  Version. 
"While  all  the  later  Greek  texts  have  been  carefully  examined,  I  have  found  my 
own  judgment  best  satisfied  with  that  of  Westcott  and  Hort ;  and  this  for  the  most 
part  has  been  followed.  On  passages  where  the  reading  is  still  in  doubt,  I  have 
given  a  detailed  statement  of  the  critical  materials  for  forming  a  judgment  only  on 
the  more  important ;  for,  while  it  is  sometimes  of  interest  to  the  general  student  to 
know  what  is  the  reading  in  the  more  celebrated  ancient  manuscripts,  it  remains 
true  that  only  a  trained  specialist  is  really  competent  to  form  a  valuable  judgment 
in  textual  criticism.  In  the  commentary  each  paragraph  is  prefaced  by  an  out- 
line of  the  thought,  and  the  notes  are  often  accompanied  by  a  full  translation  or  para- 
phrase of  the  verse  or  passage  under  consideration,  designed  to  indicate  the  writer's 
view  of  the  exact  meaning.  I  have  throughout  supplemented  my  own  interpreta- 
tion by  citing  the  interpretations  of  commentators,  both  ancient  and  modern,  whose 
proved  ability,  scholarship,  and  spiritual  insight  have  given  permanent  value  to 
their  views.  This  has  been  done  freely,  on  the  supposition  that  this  work  will 
come  into  the  hands  of  many  to  whom  the  writings  of  these  commentatoi-s  are  not 
accessible,  and  who  would  be  glad  to  have  access  to  their  views,  especially  on  the 
more  difficult  passages.  When  a  topic  has  required  a  special  and  extended  dis- 
cussion, I  have  placed  that  discussion  in  the  body  of  the  commentary,  and  not  at 
the  end  as  an  excursus.  Closely  related  as  these  epistles  are  to  subjects  relating  fo 
the  constitution  of  the  Chi'istian  Church  and  the  character  and  work  of  the  Chris- 
tian ministry,  I  should  have  been  glad  of  more  room  for  special  discussion,  but  the 
limits  assigned  me  forbade  an  extended  treatment. 

The  work  has  occupied  for  several  years  the  time  available  to  me  from  the  duties 
of  my  position  in  this  Seminary.  Its  imperfections  probably  no  one  will  see  more 
distinctly  than  I  do.  But  such  as  it  is,  the  fruit  of  no  little  toil  and  prayer,  I  now 
send  it  forth  on  its  mission,  praying  that  Gud  will  graciously  accept  it,  and  will 
make  it  helpful  to  students  of  his  word  in  enabling  them  to  gain  a  clearer  view  of 
the  truths  unfolded  in  these  inspii-ed  epistles. 

H.  Harvey. 
Hamilton  Theological  Seminary,  Sept.  10,  1888. 

8 


THE   PASTORAL  EPISTLES. 


GENERAL   INTRODUCTION. 

The  First  and  Second  Epistles  to  Timothy  and  the  Epistle  to  Titus,  are  called  Pastoral 
Epistles,  because  addressed  to  men  placed  in  charge  of  churches,  and  occupied  chiefly  with 
instruction  adapted  to  those  who  fill  the  pastoral  office. 

SECTION  FIRST. — THE  TIME  OF  WRITING. 

Of  this,  two  views  have  been  advocated.  One  of  these,  assuming  that  Paul's 
martyrdom  took  place  at  the  close  of  the  Roman  imprisonment  recorded  in  the  Acts, 
seeks  a  place  for  these  epistles  within  the  period  described  in  that  book ;  the  other, 
on  the  supposition  that  the  apostle  was  released  from  that  imprisonment,  and  nnide 
missionary  tours  subsequent  to  those  described  in  the  Acts,  places  their  date  within  this 
later  period.  The  former  theory  is  adopted  by  Lardner,  De  Wette,  Baur,  Winer, 
Wieseler,  Davidson  ;  the  latter,  by  Paley,  Neander,  Huther,  Van  Oosterzee,  Conybeare 
and  Howson,  Alford,  Farrar,  Schaff,  and  most  later  writers.  The  second  of  these  views 
is  to  be  preferred  for  the  following  reasons  : 

I.  'J'liERE  IS  NO  Scriptural  Evidence  of  Paul's  Martyrdom  at  the  Close  of 
THE  Roman  Imprisonment  Recorded  in  the  Acts. — The  record  there  leaves  Paul  a 
prisoner,  abruptly  closing  with  the  statement :  "  And  Paul  dwelt  two  whole  years  in  his 
own  hired  house,  and  received  all  that  came  in  unto  him,  preaching  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  teaching  those  things  which  concern  the  Lord  Jesus  with  all  confidence,  no  man 
forbidding  him."  (Acts  28  :  .30,  31.)  There  is  no  intimation  here,  or  elsewhere,  that 
this  imprisonment  terminated  in  death  ;  the  supposition  that  it  did  is,  therefore,  a  pure 
assumption,  without  Scripture  warrant.  On  the  other  hand,  it  seems  incredible  that,  if 
the  apostle  then  suffered  death,  Luke  should  not  have  recorded  so  important  a  fact.  It 
is  true,  indeed,  that  Paul,  in  his  farewell  discourse  to  the  Ephesian  elders,  A.  D.  58, 
saj's  :  "And  now,  behold,  I  hww  (5i«a)  that  ye  all,  among  whom  I  have  gone  preaching 
the  kingdom  of  God,  shall  see  my  face  no  more  "  (Acts  20  :  25)  ;  and  in  this  he  seems 
to  have  a  presentiment  of  his  approaching  death,  precluding  the  thought  of  his  return 
to  Ephesus  and  Asia.  But  this  presentiment  is  plainly  off'set  by  the  equally  strong 
presentiment  expressed  several  years  later,  A.  D.  62  or  63,  in  the  epistles  written  during 
his  Roman  imprisonment,  where,  confident  of  release  and  of  future  missionary  work,  he 
says:  "I  am  in  a  strait  betwi.Kt  two,  havitig  a  desire  to  depart  and  to  be  with  Christ, 
which  is  far  better:  nevertheless,  to  abide  in  the  flesh  is  more  needful  to  you.  And 
having  this  confidence,  1  know  {hi&a.)  that  I  shall  abide  and  continue  with  you  all  for  the 
furtherance  and  joy  of  your  faith,  that  your  rejoicing  may  be  more  abundant  in  Jesus 
Chri.st  for  hae  by  ray  coming  to  j'ou  again."  (Phil.  1  :  23-26  ;  2  :  24.)  So  strong  was 
this  confidence  that,  in  writing,  about  the  same  time,  to  Philejiion  at  Colosse,  he  snys  : 
"  Withal  prepare  me  also  a  lodging  ;  for  I  trust  that  through  your  prayers  I  shall  be 

5 


6  GENERAL  INTRODUCTION, 

given  unto  you."  (Ver.  22.)  Plainly,  I  know,  when  used  by  Paul  as  here,  of  his  future 
personal  life  in  tliis  world,  is  not  intended  to  indicate  omniscient  prescience,  but  to  express 
a  strong  present  presen'tinient,  which  may  or  may  not  accord  with  the  actual  future  result. 
Hence  these  presentiments  with  him,  as  with  all  men,  differed  with  different  moods  and 
circumstances  ;  and  they  are  truthfully  thus  recorded  by  the  pen  of  inspiration.  On  the 
question,  therefore,  of  Paul's  release  and  subsequent  return  to  Asia,  they  can  have  no 
decisive  influence.  But  the  later  presentiment,  uttered  at  Rome  during  his  imprison- 
ment, was  surely  more  likely  to  be  correct,  because  founded  on  the  facts  of  his  then 
present  position. 

II.  Universal  Patristic  Tradition  is  in  Favor  of  his  Release. — The  testimony 
is,  indeed,  not  abundant,  but  it  is  all  of  one  import.  The  earliest  witness  is  Clemens 
Romanus,  belonging  to  the  first  century,  and  probably  the  "Clement"  mentioned  (Phil. 
4  :  3)  as  one  of  Paul's  "fellow  laborers."  He  writes  of  Paul  :  "After  having  taught 
righteousness  to  the  whole  world,  and  come  to  the  extremity  of  the  West  and  testified 
before  rulers,  he  was  thus  freed  from  the  world,  and  passed  into  the  holy  place,  having 
shown  himself  a  most  eminent  example  of  steadfastness."  [Ep.  1  ad  Corinth,  ch.  5.) 
"  The  extremity  of  the  West,"  as  used  in  that  period  by  a  writer  at  Rome,  would  in  all 
j)robability  refer  to  Spain.  Certainly  it  could  not  refer  to  Rome.  It  thus  indicates,  as 
indeed  does  the  whole  expression,  a  wider  range  of  missionary  work  than  that  described 
in  the  Acts,  and,  consequently,  a  release  and  an  extension  westward  of  his  apostolic 
labors.  Tlie  next  reference  is  in  the  Muratorian  Canon,  a  fragment  belonging  to  the  last 
half  of  the  second  century,  in  which,  referring  to  the  Acts,  the  writer  says:  "Luke 
relates  in  detail,  to  the  Most  Excellent  Theophilus,  the  events  which  transpired  under 
his  personal  supervision,  as  also,  in  a  separate  place,  the  suffering  of  Peter;  but  (omits) 
the  departure  of  Paul  when  he  set  forth  froiu  the  city  to  Spain."  Eusebius,  early  in 
the  fourth  century,  wrote  of  Paul  :  "  Having,  therefore,  made  a  successful  defense, 
report  has  it  that  the  apostle  departed  on  the  ministry  of  preaching,  but  having  come 
again  to  the  same  city,  he  was  perfected  by  martyrdom  under  him."  (Nero.)  ("Hist. 
Eccles.,"  II.  22.)  Chryso.stom,  near  the  close  of  that  century,  affirms:  Paul,  "after 
having  been  in  Rome,  again  departed  for  Spain."  {Ad.  2  Tim.  4  :  20. )  Jerome  also, 
about  the  same  time,  referring  to  the  first  Roman  imprisonment,  said:  "Paul  was 
dismissed  by  Nero  that  he  might  preach  the  gospel  also  in  the  regions  of  the  West." 
("Vir.  lUust.")  These  testimonies,  with  similar  statements  of  Epiphanius,  Cyril  of 
Jeru.salem,  and  Theodoret,  though  not  numerous,  are  authorities  of  weight,  and,  so  far  as 
appears,  they  indicate  the  common  tradition  of  the  early  churches.  There  was  evidently 
no  opposing  view. 

III.  The  Pastoral  Episti.es,  all  op  Which,  by  Common  Consent,  Belong 
to  the  Same  Period,  Find  no  Place  in  thi:  Historic  Period  Described  in  the 
Acts,  but  Presuppose  a  Later  Period. — This  may  be  shown  from  their  historical 
allusions,  fiom  their  diction  and  style,  and  from  the  character  and  circumstances  of  the 
churches  as  indicated  in  them. 

1.  The  hi^toriad  alhi.<<i(>ns  .■  (a)  At  the  time  of  writing  the  First  Epistle  to  Timothy, 
Paul  had  left  him  at  Ephesus,  and  had  gone  into  Macedonia  (1  :  3) ;  but  this  cannot  refer 
to  Paul's  first  visit  to  Ephcsus,  since  at  that  time  there  was  no  church  at  Ephesus,  and 
the  apostle,  on  leaving  that  city,  went,  not  to  Macedonia,  but  to  Jerusalem.  (Acts 
]8  :  lU-21.)  Nor  can  it  refer  to  his  second  visit  to  Ephesus  and  three  years  residence 
there  ;  for,  on  leaving  Ephesus  at  that  time,  he  did  go  to  Macedonia.     Yet,  so  far  from 


GENERAL  INTRODUCTION. 


Timothy  having  then  been  left  beliinJ  in  Ephesus,  the  apostle  had  sent  him  before  to 
Macedonia  (Acts  19  :  22);  and  the  salutation  (2  Cor.  1  :  1),  written  soon  after,  shows 
that  he  was  with  Paul  in  Macedonia  at  the  writing  of  that  Epistle.  And  even  if  Timothy 
— as  some  suppose  from  1  Cor.  16  :  11 — returned  to  Ephesus  before  Paul  left,  then  his 
presence  with  Paul  so  soon  after  in  Macedonia  is  niaiiifostly  inconsistent  with  the  whole 
tenor  of  tlie  First  Epistle  to  Timothy,  as  to  Paul's  intention  in  leaving  him  at  Ephesus. 
(/>)  At  the  writing  of  First  Timothy,  moreover,  Paul  was  expecting  soon  to  return  to 
Ephesus  (I  Tim.  3  :  14)  ;  but,  according  to  Acts  20,  he  had  no  such  expectation 
at  the  leaving  there  recorded,  but  was  on  his  way  through  Macedonia  to  Illyricum  and 
Greece  ;  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  did  not  return  to  that  city.  (Acts  20  :  16  )  (c) 
In  Second  Timothy,  which  was  evidetitly  written  at  Rome  not  long  before  his  martyrdom, 
the  apostle  says:  "  Erastus  abode  at  Corinth;  but  Trophimus  have  I  left  at  Miletum 
sick."  "  The  cloak  that  I  left  at  Troas  with  Carpus,  when  thou  comest,  bring  with  thee, 
and  the  book.s,  but  especially  the  parchments."  (4:13,  20.)  These,  and  several  similar 
allusions  in  that  Epistle,  plainly  imply  that  Paul  had  very  lately  been  in  Corinth  and 
Asia  Minor ;  whereas,  if  the  imprisonment  mentioned  in  the  Acts  terminated  in  mar- 
tyrdom, the  Epistle  must  have  been  written  five  or  six  j'ears  after  he  had  left  those 
regions,  with  which  long  interval  it  is  impossible  to  reconcile  this  language.  Moreover, 
during  Paul's  last  visit  to  Troas,  as  recorded  (Acts  20  :  6),  Timothy  was  with  him,  and 
afterward  he  repeatedly  visited  him  at  Rome.  The  cloak  and  book  and  parchments  must 
have  been  long  since  recovered.  Nor  did  he  at  that  time  leave  Trophimus  at  Miletum 
sick ;  for  this  person  was  with  him  immediately  after  at  Jerusalem,  at  the  time  of  hi3 
arrest."  (Acts  21  :  29. )  Plainly,  then,  these  events  belong  to  a  later  period,  and  the 
writing  of  Second  Timothj'  must  be  referred  to  a  different  and  later  impi-isonment. 

2.  The  sti/Ie  and  diction  of  these  epistles  indicate  a  later  j)eriod. — The  Pauline  Epistles 
may  be  separated  into  four  distinct  groups,  consisting,  the  first,  of  First  and  Second 
Thessalonians,  written  on  the  second  missionary  journey,  about  A.  D.  52,  53  ;  the  second, 
of  Galatians,  First  and  Second  Corinthians,  and  Romans,  written  on  the  third  missionary 
journey,  about  A.  D.  55-58  ;  the  third,  of  Colossians,  Philemon,  Ephcsians,  Philippians, 
ami  Hebrews,  written  during  the  first  Roman  imprisonment,  about  A.  D.  61-63  ;  the 
fourth,  of  First  and  Second  Timothy,  and  Titus,  written,  if  our  view  is  correct,  about 
A.  D.  64-68.  Each  of  these  groups  of  epistles  is  marked  by  its  own  special  characteristics, 
plainly  distinguishing  it  from  the  rest.  These  differences  were  occasioned  partly  by  changes 
in  Paul  himself  and  partly  by  the  difference  in  character  and  condition  of  those  to  whom 
they  were  addressed.  Compare,  for  example,  Galatians  or  Romans,  of  the  second  group, 
with  Colossians  or  Ephesians,  in  the  third  group,  and  even  the  most  superficial  reader  is 
conscious  of  a  marked  change  in  the  language  and  style,  and  feels  that  the  writer  is 
dwelling  in  new  realms  of  thought,  and  is  dealing  with  new  characters  and  circumstances. 
In  like  manner  the  Pastoral  Epistles  occupy  a  distinct  place,  alike  in  tlieir  range  of 
thought  and  in  their  forms  of  expression,  showing  peculiarities  which,  though  wholly 
Pauline,  suggest  a  change  in  the  writer's  mental  and  spiritual  standpoint,  as  well  as  in 
the  characters  and  circumstances  with  which  he  is  surrounded.  The  natural  explanation 
of  this  is  that  this  group  of  epistles  belongs  to  a  later  period  in  the  apostle's  life,  and 
sprang  from  the  advanced  experience  then  attained  by  him,  and  from  the  changed 
conditions  then  existing  in  the  churches. 

3.  The  character  and  circi(7nstances  nf  the  churches,  as  presented  in  these  epistles, 
presuppose  a  later  period,     (a)  The  church  organization  has  gained  a  more  fixed  and 


8  GENERAL  INTRODUCTION. 

complete  form.  Instead  of  the  many  ministries  and  gifts  seen  earlier  in  the  church,  as 
in  chapter  12,  First  Corinthians,  two  offices  only  are  are  here  emphasized,  pastors  and 
deacons  ;  and  these  appear,  at  least  in  the  Ephesian  Church,  as  regularly  and  fully 
established.  Men  are  aspiring  to  places  in  them,  and  the  required  qualifications  are 
distinctly  specified.  No  new  elements  appear.  The  church  is  the  same  in  all  essential 
features  as  in  the  earlier  period,  but  it  has  matured  so  that  its  form  and  order  are  more 
distinctly  defined  and  fixed,  (b)  The  schismatics  and  errorists,  whom  Paul  at  an  earlier 
period  had  predicted  as  about  to  arise  at  Ephesus,  in  these  epistles  are  seen  as  already 
present  and  drawing  away  the  people.  When  addressing  the  Ephesian  eldei-s  at  Miletus, 
he  said:  "I  know  this,  that  after  my  departing  shall  grievous  wolves  enter  in  among 
you,  not  sparing  the  fiock.  Also  of  your  own  selves  shall  men  arise,  speaking  perverse 
things,  to  draw  away  disciples  after  them."  (Acts  20  :  29,  30.)  It  is  evident  that,  when 
these  epistles  were  written,  the  heretics  thus  predicted  had  already  appeared  ;  and  one 
chief  object  of  the  epistles,  especially  of  First  Timothy,  is  to  guard  Paul's  assistants 
against  these  heretics,  and  instruct  them  how  to"  deal  with  them.  All  this,  with  much 
more  that  might  be  adduced,  clearly  points  to  a  period  later  than  that  embraced  in  the 
Acts,  as  the  true  epoch  to  which  the  composition  of  these  epistles  must  be  referred. 

Accepting,  then,  with  the  majority  of  recent  scholars,  the  conclusion  that  these 
epistles  were  written  subsequent  to  the  first  Roman  imprisonment,  which  terminated 
about  A.  D.  63,  it  remains  to  inquire  the  probable  dates  to  be  assigned  them.  Of 
necessity,  these  must  be  more  or  less  conjectural.  Second  Timothy,  it  is  evident, 
was  written  not  long  before  the  apostle's  death,  which,  according  to  the  most  probable 
accounts,  occurred  A.  D.  67  or  68  ;  and  as  these  epistles  have  so  much  in  common,  they 
probably  belong  to  the  same  general  period.  The  following  outline  of  the  apostle's  course 
after  the  first  imprisonment  is,  at  least,  not  impi'obable.  In  accordance  with  the  purpose 
expressed  not  long  before  his  release  (Phil.  1  :  26  ;  2  :  24  ;  Philem.  22),  after  that  event, 
A.  D.  64,  he  returned  to  Macedonia  and  Asia  Minor,  visiting  and  strengthening  the 
churches  he  had  planted.  If  the  statement  of  the  Muratorian  Canon  and  of  Chrysostom, 
with  other  Fathers,  is  correct,  he  then  journeyed,  perhaps  by  way  of  Rome,  to  Spain,  and 
there  labored  for  a  season  in  the  work  of  evangelization,  thus  accomplishing  the  purpose 
expressed  many  years  before.  (Rom.  15  :  14.)  About  A.  D.  65  or  66,  he  returns  to  the 
East,  and  labors  again  at  Ephesus  ;  and  then,  leaving  for  Macedonia,  he  writes  from  that 
province,  A.  D.  65  or  66,  the  First  Epistle  to  Timothy,  whom  he  had  left  in  charge  of 
the  Ephesian  Church.  From  Macedonia  he  seems  to  have  sailed,  with  Titus,  for  Crete, 
spending  a  season  preaching  the  gospel  and  organizing  churches  in  that  island.  Leaving 
Titus  there  to  complete  the  work  of  church  organization,  he  probably  returned,  by  way 
of  Macedonia  and  Troas,  to  Ephesus  ;  and,  passing  thence  to  Miletus,  where  he  left 
Trophimus  sick,  he  sailed  from  that  port  to  Corinth,  where  Erastus  remained.  (2  Tim. 
4  :  20.)  From  some  point  in  this  journey  he  sent,  A.  D.  66  or  67,  the  Epistle  to  Titus, 
with  instructions  as  to  the  guidance  of  affairs  in  Crete,  and  direction  to  come  to  him  at 
Nicopolis,  in  Epinis,  where  he  intended  to  winter.  (3  :  12. )  Soon  after,  perhaps  at 
Nicopolis,  he  is  again  arrested,  and  we  next  find  him  at  Rome  in  prison.  It  was  near 
the  close  of  the  bloody  Nero's  reign  ;  and,  instead  of  dwelling  "  in  his  own  hired  house," 
as  in  the  former  imprisonment,  with  freedom  to  preach  the  gospel,  the  apostle  now,  "as 
a  malefactor,"  is  thrust,  chained,  into  a  Roman  dungeon.  Such  is  the  peril  of  his 
position  that  most  of  his  friends  forsake  him  ;  and  when  he  stood  arraigned  before  the 
Imperial  Court  on  the  first  charge  in  his  accusation,  he  was  absolutely  alone — all  men 


GENERAL  INTRODUCTION.  9 


forsook  him.  lu  tlie  vast  throng  wliich,  in  that  august  presence,  listened  to  his  noble 
defense  of  the  gospel,  no  Christian  ventured  to  appear.  But  the  Lord  stood  with  him  ; 
and  on  that  charge  he  was  acquitted.  Another  charge,  however,  remained  ;  and  he  is 
remanded  to  tlie  dungeon  to  await  the  new  ordeal,  whicli  he  confidenily  expects  will 
result  in  condemnation  and  death.  It  was  at  this  point — probably  early  in  the  fall,  A.  D. 
67— Paul  wrote  the  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  exhorting  him  to  hasten  his  coming  to 
Rome,  and  giving  him  his  last  charge  as  a  minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  At  his  second 
trial,  according  to  the  tradition,  he  was  condennied  to  decapitation  ;  and  early  in  the 
summer,  A.  D.  68,  the  apostle,  led  forth  from  the  city  by  the  Ostian  Way,  was  beheaded. 

SECTION   SECOND. — THE   GENUINENESS. 

The  Pauline  authorship  of  the  Pastoral  Epistles  was  not  called  in  question  during  the 
Patristic  period,  except,  as  was  natural,  by  some  of  the  Gnostics,  who  had  dogmatic 
reasons  for  opposing  them.  They  are  quoted  as  genuine  by  the  Apostolical  Fathers, 
Clemens  Romanus,  Ignatius,  and  Polycarp.  They  are  found  in  the  Peschito  Syriac  Ver- 
sion, and  in  the  Muratoriau  Canon,  both  belonging  to  the  last  half  of  the  second  century, 
the  one  representing  the  common  view  of  the  Oriental  churches,  the  other  that  of  the 
churches  of  the  West.  The  latter,  in  its  catalogue  of  Paul's  Epistles,  says  :  "  nd  Titinn 
una,  et  ad  Timotheum  dum/'  (To  Titus  one,  and  to  Timothy  two.)  They  were  received  as 
genuine  by  the  earlier  Fathers,  as  Justin  Martyr,  Irenaeus.  Clement  of  Alexandria,  Theo- 
philus,  and  Tertullian  ;  all  of  whom  either  quote  from  them,  or  refer  to  them,  as  the 
writings  of  Paul.  Among  the  later  Fathers  the  testimony  is  full  and  explicit,  but  need 
not  be  cited  in  detail,  since  Eusebius,  of  the  fourth  century,  in  his  "Canon  of  Scriptures," 
ranks  these  epistles  among  the  HomoJef/omeita,  or  sacred  writings  whose  genuineness  and 
inspiration  were  unquestioned  in  the  orthodox  churches.  ("  Hist.  Eccles.,"  III.  25.)  The 
external  proof  is  absolutely  complete  ;  and  through  all  the  Christian  ages  until  a  very 
recent  period  the  Pauline  origin  of  these  epistles  has  been  unhesitatingly  acccjited. 

Of  late,  however,  this  has  been  violently  assailed,  especially  in  Germany.  Schleiermacher 
led  the  way  by  questioning  the  genuineness  of  First  Timothy.  Eichhorn  and  De  Wctte 
denied  the  Pauline  authorship  of  the  three  epistles,  but  placed  the  date  of  their  composi- 
tion in  the  first  century  and  conceded  them  a  place  in  the  New  Testament  Canon.  Baur 
and  the  Tubingen  school  held  them  as  spurious,  and  assigned  them  to  the  second  century. 
Most  of  those  who  impugn  their  genuineness,  as  Davidson,  assign  them  a  place,  though 
secondary,  in  the  New  Testament,  as  the  well-meant  productions  of  good  men,  living  near 
the  apostolic  age,  who  wrote  under  the  name  of  Paul,  from  a  desire  to  give  a|)ostolic 
authority  to  doctrines  and  instructions,  in  themselves  true  and  useful,  and  in  actual  accord 
with  those  of  the  apostle.  A  full  discussion  of  the  question,  entering  into  all  its  details, 
would  occupy  more  space  than  the  plan  of  tliis  work  admits.  This  will  be  found  in  other 
accessible  works.  See  Davidson's  "  Introduction  to  the  New  Testament,"  where,  in  the 
later  editions,  the  arguments  against  their  genuineness  are  exhaustively  presented.  Also, 
Huther's  "Introduction  to  the  Pastoral  Epistles,"  in  3Ieyer's  "  Commentary  ";  Wies- 
inger's  "Introduction  "  to  these  epistles  in  "  Olshausen's  Commontarj'  ";  and  esjiecially 
the  Prolegomena  to  these  epistles  in  Alford's  "  Commentnry  "  (vol.  ;S,  Am.  ed.) ;  in  all 
of  which  their  PauliiH>  authorship  is  maintained.  A  valuable  summary  of  the  discu.'^sion 
will  be  found  in  Smith's  "Dictionary  of  the  Bible,"  in  the  article  on  "The  Ejiistles  to 
Timothy." 

The  chief  objection  urged  against  the  genuineness  of  these  epistles  may  be  thus  stated  : 


10  GENERAL  INTRODUCTION. 

First :  These  epistles  in  their  historic  allusions  find  no  place-  in  PauVs  life  as  recorded  in 
the  Acts ;  theij  cannot.,  therefore,  have  been  loritten  by  him.  This  objection  rests  on  the 
assumption  that  the  apostle's  death  occurred  at  the  close  of  the  period  covered  hy  the 
Acts — an  assumption  wiiicli,  in  tlie  above  examination  of  the  time  of  writing  these 
epistles,  we  have  found  wholl}'  unwarranted  either  by  Scripture  or  history.  If,  as  has 
been  shown,  Paul  was  released,  and  lived  several  years  beyond  that  period,  performing 
missionary  tours  and  continuing  his  supervision  of  the  churches,  there  was  ample  place 
in  his  life  for  these  epistles,  and  the  circumstances  they  present  become  every  way  natural 
and  reasonable.  Indeed,  this  single  fact  removes  almost  all  the  objections  to  the  genuine- 
ness of  these  epistles,  by  adequately  accounting  for  the  historic  allusions  and  the  peculi- 
arities they  present. 

Second :  The  language  and  style  are  not  Paidine.  The  epistles  do  not  exhibit  that 
vigor  and  coherence  of  thought  which  are  found  in  Paul's  writings  ;  and  they  contain  a 
considerable  number  of  words  and  phrases  not  used  in  the  other  epistles  ascribed  to  him. 
To  this  it  may  be  replied  :  Without  doubt  these  epistles  have  peculiarities  which  markedly 
distinguish  them  from  other  Pauline  writings,  but  this  by  no  means  disproves  their 
genuineness.  Such  diflferences  would  necessarily  exist  from  the  circumstances  under 
which  they  were  written.  They  were  composed  several  years  after  the  others,  when  the 
apostle  was  older  and  more  infirm,  and  his  modes  of  thought  and  expression  would  natur- 
ally be  modified.  They  were  written,  not  to  churches  for  public  use,  but  to  familiar  friends  ; 
the  elaboration  and  order  which  characterize  most  of  his  other  writings  could  not  here  be 
expected,  and  would,  indeed,  be  unnatural.  The  subjects  here  are,  for  the  most  part, 
different  from  those  treated  in  the  other  epistles,  rendering  necessary  the  use  of  new 
words  and  phrases.  jMost  of  the  other  epistles  were  dictated  to  an  amanuensis,  whereas 
these  were  probably  written  by  his  own  hand — a  fact  explaining  many  of  their  peculiari- 
ties. The  difference  in  diction  and  style,  however,  has  been  greatly  exaggerated.  In 
point  of  fact,  the  number  of  peculiar  words  and  phrases  is  not  essentially  greater  than  in 
some  of  the  acknowledged  epistles  of  Paul.  Farrar  states  the  results  of  research  on  this 
point  thus  :  "There are  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  eleven  peculiar  terms  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Romans  ;  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  in  the  two  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians  ;  fifty- 
seven  and  fifty-four  respectively  in  the  short  Epistles  to  the  Galatians  and  Philippians ; 
six  even  in  the  few  paragraphs  addressed  to  Philemon.  It  is  not,  therefore,  in  the  least 
degree  surprising  that  there  should  be  seventy-four  in  the  First  Ejiistle  to  Timothy;  sixty- 
seven  in  the  second,  and  thirteen  in  that  to  Titus."  ("Life  and  Work  of  St.  Paul,"  p, 
613,  Am.  ed.)  If,  then,  we  consider  the  greatly  altered  circumstances  under  which  the 
now  aged  and  infirm  apostle  is  writing  these  letters  to  his  trusted  assistants,  and  the 
Avidely  different  subjects  he  is  treating,  it  becomes  evident  that  a  marked  difference  of  dic- 
tion and  style  is  to  be  expected.  Were  such  a  difference  wanting,  this  fact  might  go  far 
to  discredit  their  genuineness.  All  literature  is  full  of  examples  of  such  differences  in  the 
same  writers,  writing  at  different  periods  of  life,  treating  of  different  subjects,  and  ad- 
dressing different  persons.  No  man  ordinarily  writes  a  letter  to  a  familiar  friend  with  the 
elaborateness  that  he  would  use  in  a  treatise  or  a  public  discourse.  No  author  is  always  at 
his  best.  How  wide  is  the  gulf,  in  power  and  wealth  of  thought  and  sj)lendor  of  diction, 
between  "Paradise  Lost"  and  "Paradise  Regained"  !  The  critic,  reasoning  on  merely 
internal  and  subjective  grounds,  would  find  far  more  reasons  for  denying  that  the  latter 
was  written  by  Milton,  than  can  be  adduced  for  denying  Paul's  authorship  of  the  Pas- 
toral Epistles.     In  fact,  such  criticism  is  wholly  false  in  principle,  and,  were  it  generally 


GENERAL  INTRODUCTION.  11 


applied,  the  genuineness  of  many  productions  of  our  best  authors  would  be  put  in  doubt, 
and  no  inconsiderable  part  of  our  literature  be  pronounced  spurious.  Besides,  these  pecu- 
liar words  and  phrases  are  the  comparatively  rare  exceptions  ;  the  ordinary  currents  of 
thought  and  forms  of  expression  are  confessedly  those  of  the  acknowledged  epistles  of 
Paul ;  and  it  is  far  more  difl&cult  to  account  for  this  almost  universal  Pauline  cast  of 
thought  and  expression,  which  no  imitator  could  possibly  produce,  than  to  account  for 
these  occasional  divergencies  from  his  earlier  writings.  The  hypothesis  of  forgery  in  the 
case  of  these  epistles  devolves  on  its  advocate  the  utterly  hopeless  task  of  explaining  the 
all-pervading  presence  in  them  of  the  well-defined,  distinctive  thought  and  feeling  and 
expressions  of  the  Apostle  Paul — a  presence  which  does  not  reveal  itself  nierelj'  in  occa- 
sional coincidences,  but  colors  and  permeates  the  whole  substance  and  spirit  of  these  pro- 
ductions. 

Third :  The  advanced  church  organization  and  the  form  of  the  heresies  seen  in  these 
epistles  belong  to  a  period  later  than  the  age  of  Paid.  The  church  organization,  it  is  said, 
is  an  incipient  hierarchy,  and  the  heretics  are  the  Gnostics,  both  of  which  fiicts  point  to 
the  post-apostolic  age  as  the  time  of  composition.     Let  us  examine  these  objections  : 

1.  T he  alleged  advanced  ecclesiasticism.  [a]  Hierarchical  tendencies,  it  is  said,  appear 
in  the  rules  relating  to  the  clergy.  But  if  so,  it  is  singular  that  the  terms  "  bishop  "  and 
"elder"  are  still  used  as  perfectly  synonymous,  plainly  designating  the  same  officer 
(Titus  1  :  5,  7) ;  that  between  the  bishop  and  deacon  no  intermediate  officer  appears 
(1  Tim.  3  :  1-8)  ;  that  no  sacerdotal  dignity  or  function  is  assigned  to  the  clergy  ;  and 
that  there  is  no  hint  even  of  the  presiding  presbyter  in  the  church  college  of  presbyters, 
who,  as  "  first  among  equals"  {primus  inter  pares),  appears  so  prominent  in  the  second 
century  :  but  the  presbyters  are  evidently,  as  yet,  all  on  the  same  level.  The  only  advance 
seen  in  church  organization  is  that  the  permanent  officers,  the  pastors  and  deacons,  are 
made  more  prominent,  while  those  exercising  special  functions  and  miraculous  gifts,  who 
appear  in  the  earlier  epistles  (1  Cor.  12),  fall  here  into  the  background — an  entirely 
natural  fact,  on  the  hypothesis  of  the  composition  of  these  late  in  the  apostle's  life.  (/>) 
It  is  farther  objected,  that  the  clergy  arc  forbidden  to  remarry  (1  Tim.  3  :  2),  and  that  the 
term  "widows"  is  used  to  designate  an  order  of  consecrated  virgins  in  the  church  (1  Tim. 
5  :  3-16),  both  of  which  point  to  a  state  of  things  which  did  not  arise  till  the  second  cen- 
tury. But  these  objections  are  based  upon  a  misinterpretation.  A  careful  exegesis  will 
show  that  the  restriction,  that  the  bishop  be  "the  husband  of  one  wife,"  does  not  forbid  re- 
marriage after  the  death  of  a  former  wife ;  and  that  the  passage  relating  to  widows  not 
only  contains  no  hint  of  a  body  of  consecrated  virgins,  but  the  only  body  to  which  it  does 
refer  is  one  composed  of  widows  maintained  by  the  church,  among  the  conditions  of  ad- 
mission to  which  are  that  the  applicant  has  been  "the  wife  of  one  man"  and  has 
"brought  up  children."  To  interpret  the  word  when,  in  the  immediate  connection,  it  is 
used  of  the  "younger  widows,"  as  meaning  virgins,  is  a  gross  violation  of  the  law  of 
context,  one  of  the  primary  principles  in  exegesis,  and  is,  to  the  last  degree,  forced  and 
unnatural.  In  truth,  the  church,  as  seen  in  these  epistles,  retains  all  its  original  sim- 
plicity of  organization,  and  differs  from  that  seen  in  the  earlier  epistles  only  in  that  its 
permanent  features  have  become  more  distinct,  while  the  features  that  were  merely  tem- 
porary are  disappearing. 

2.  The  alleged  later  form  of  the  heresie.  referred  to  in  these  epistles.  Tlie  language  used 
in  describing  these,  it  is  said,  points  to  the  Gnosticism  of  the  second  century.  Thus  "  the 
oppositions  (irTifleV.ts)  of  science  (yvui<7ea.«)  falsely  so  called"  (1  Tim.  G  :  20) ;  "forbidding 


12  GENERAL  INTRODUCTION. 

to  marry  and  commanding  to  abstain  from  meats"  (4  :  3)  ;  the ''endless  genealogies" 
(1  : 4),  and  the  doctrine  "that  the  resurrection  is  passed  already  "  (  2  Tim.  2  :  18),  are 
all  features  of  the  Gnostic  systems,  as  they  appear  in  the  second  and  in  the  following  cen- 
tury. To  this  it  may  be  replied  :  Without  question,  these  false  tendencies  appear  in  the 
later  Gnosticism  ;  but  it  is  equally  certain  that  the  germs  of  the  Gnostic  heresies  existed 
in  the  apostolic  age,  especially  in  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor.  This  is  plain  from  the 
Epistles  to  the  Colossiaus  and  the  Ephesians,  in  which,  especially  the  former,  these  heret- 
ical tendencies  appear  even  more  distinctly  than  in  the  Pastoral  Epistles.  In  this  epistle, 
written  as  early  as  A.D.  61-63,  the  apostle  exhorted  the  Colossians  to  beware  of  "  philo- 
sophy and  vain  deceit,"  a  "voluntary  humiUty  and  worshiping  of  angels,"  "a  show  of 
will-worship,  and  humility,  and  neglecting  of  the  body."  (2:8,  18,  23.)  But  neither 
here  nor  in  the  Pastoral  Epistles  is  there  any  evidence  of  a  developed  system  of  Gnosti- 
cism, as  in  the  second  century.  These  heresies  are  in  their  incipiency  ;  and  they  affiliate 
even  more  nearly  with  Jewish  than  with  Gnostic  errors.  The  heretics  aspire  to  be 
"  teachers  of  the  law "  (1  Tim.  1:7);  they  give  "heed  to  Jewish  fables  "  (Titus  1  :  14) ; 
they  are  zealous  in  "strivings  about  the  law"  (Titus  3:9);  all  of  which  connects  them, 
not  with  the  developed  forms  of  Gnosticism  of  the  second  century,  but  with  the  perverted 
Judaism  which  arose  from  contact  with  Oriental  theosophy,  and  which  is  known  to  have 
existed  in  the  first  century.  The  ascetic  features,  also,  of  these  heresies  are  more  natur- 
ally referred  to  Jewish  tendencies  ;  and  the  doctrine  that  the  resurrection  is  already 
passed,  being  fulfilled  in  regeneration,  is  as  probably  referable  to  the  old  Sadduceism. 

Finally  :  The  criticism  which  seeks  to  set  aside  the  clearest  external  evidences  of  the 
genuineness  of  these  epistles  by  purely  subjective  and  internal  considerations,  not  only 
utterly  fails,  as  we  have  seen,  to  substantiate  tht-se  considerations,  but  is,  in  its  whole  pro- 
cedure, false  in  principle.  It  selects  and  emphasizes  a  few  pecuHarities  (which  certainly 
the  circumstances  reasonably  explain),  and  then  seeks  by  these  to  prove  the  spuriousness 
of  these  epistles  ;  while  it  ignores  the  vital  and  decisive  fact,  that  the  pervading  spirit, 
the  ordinary  type  of  thought,  and  the  diction  in  general  are  essentially  Pauline,  and  bear 
throughout  the  impress  of  the  great  apostle.  Indeed,  some  of  the  most  characteristic 
and  magnificent  Pauline  passages,  in  which  it  is  impossible  to  doubt  his  hand,  occur  in 
these  very  epistles.  Were  a  rhetorician  selecting  from  the  whole  New  Testament  passages 
to  represent  more  clearly  and  forcibly  the  doctrine  and  spirit  and  style  of  Paul,  it  would 
be  difficult  to  find  any  more  suited  to  his  purpose  than  these  epistles  affijrd.  Take,  for 
example,  such  as  these  :  1  Tim.  1  :  12-17  ;  3  :  14-16  ;  5  :  11-16.  Titus  1  : 1-4  ;  2  :  11-14  ; 
3  :  1-7.  2  Tim.  1  :  3-14  ;  2  :  8-14  ;  4  :  1-8.  They  are  full  of  his  most  characteristic  lan- 
guage and  forms  of  thought,  and  breathe  throughout  his  elevated  Christian  spirit. 

SECTION  THIRD. — TIIE  LITERATURE. 

The  literature  of  the  Pastoral  Epistles  is  very  extensive  ;  but  we  shall  here  note  only 
the  more  important  and  accessible  works.  Among  the  Reformers,  Luther,  Melanchthon, 
and  Calvin  wrote  on  them  :  the  commentaries  of  the  last  named  have  great  value  even  at 
this  day,  and  will  be  found  in  the  Edinburgh  translation  of  his  works.  Of  the  later  Con- 
tinental commentaries,  the  following  should  be  nientioncd  :  that  of  Wicsingor,  which  forms 
a  part  of  Olshausen's  "Commentary  "  ;  that  of  Van  Oosterzee,  found  in  Lange's  "  Com- 
mentary," which  is  specially  valuable,  ahke  in  its  exegetical  and  in  its  doctrinal  and  prac- 
tical notes;  that  of  Huther,  in  Mej'er's  "  Commentary,"  which  is  of  high  value,  espe- 
cially in  its  very  satisfactory  and  exhaustive  "  Introduction  "  ;  that  of  Beck,  "Exposition 


GENERAL  INTRODUCTION.  13 

of  the  two  Epistles  of  Paul  to  Timothy"  {Erkldrung  der  zivei  Briefe  Pauli  an  Timo- 
theus,  1879).  an  admirable  and  iiiiineiitly  evangelical  exposition  ;  that  of  Ilofniann,  "The 
Epistles  of  Paul  to  Titus  and  Timothy"  {Die  Briefe  Pauli  an  Titus  mid  Timothtus), 
1874,  which  forms  a  volume  in  his  "  New  Testament  Commentary."  "The  First  Epistle 
of  Paul  to  Timothy"  {Der  erste  Briefe  Pauli  an  Timotheus),  von  H.  Koelling,  Berlin, 
1882,  who  shows  the  Pauline  authorship  from  internal  grounds,  answering  especially  tiie 
argument  from  linguistic  considerations.  The  three  first  named  are  made  accessible  to 
English  readers  in  excellent  translations.  Of  other  Continental  authors,  we  may  mention 
Mack,  whose  "  Commentary  on  the  Pastoral  Epistles  "  {(Jomm.  ueher  die  Pastoral  Briefe), 
Tubingen,  1836,  represents  the  Roman  Catholic  interpretation;  Matthies'  "Exposition 
of  the  Pastoral  Epistles,"  etc.  (ErJdarung  der  Pastoral  Briefe,  mit.  hes.  Bezielning  avf 
Anthentie  und  Ort  und  Zeit  der  Ahfassting),  Griefswald,  1840;  and  De  Wette,  whose 
brief,  but  learned  work  (which  includes  Hebrews)  has  much  value  ;  the  most  important 
points  in  all  these,  however,  will  be  found  in  the  later  works  mentioned  above. 

Of  Ei!glish  and  American  authors,  if  we  pass  by  the  older  commentators,  whose  works 
have  been,  for  the  most  part,  superseded,  we  should  specially  mention  the  commentaries 
of  Dean  Alford,  whose  "Prolegomena"  to  these  epistles,  as  well  as  his  notes  and  critical 
apparatus,  are  of  special  value  ;  of  Bishop  Ellicott,  distinguished  for  thorough  and 
scholarly  exegesis ;  of  Bishop  Wordsworth,  of  less  value  in  exegesis,  but  very  full  in 
patristic  learning  and  citations  ;  of  Principal  Fairbairn,  whose  work,  entitled  "The  Pas- 
toral Epistles;  The  Greek  Text  and  Translation,  Expository  Notes,  and  Dissertations," 
is  marked  equally  by  rare  good  sense  and  by  rich  Biblical  scholarship  ;  and  of  Fausset,  in- 
cluded in  the  "Commentary  of  Jamieson,  Fausset,  and  Brown,"  which,  though  brief,  is, 
in  commenting  on  these  epistles,  remarkably  judicious,  and  gives  the  results  of  very  careful 
and  scholarly  investigation.  Of  the  older  commentaries,  that  of  Henry,  though  lacking  in 
critical  value,  excels  here,  as  everywhere,  in  the  wealth  of  its  doctrinal,  experimental,  and 
practical  suggestions  ;  and  that  of  Dr.  Gill,  though  antiquated,  is  often  rich  in  its  recondite 
(especially  rabbinic)  learning,  and  in  its  profound  doctrinal  and  spiritiial  insight. 

Of  general  works,  we  may  note  as  valuable  for  the  understanding  of  these  epistles  : 
Neander's  "Planting  and  Training  of  the  Church"  Schaff's  "History  of  the  Apostolic 
Church  "  ;  Conybeare  and  Howson's  "Life  and  Epistles  of  St.  Paul"  ;  Paley's  "Horge 
Paulinae."  On  the  genuineness  of  these  epistles,  the  work  of  Otto,  entitled  "  The  His- 
torical relations  of  the  Pastoral  Epistles  anew  Examined,"  is  remarkable  for  its  full  state- 
ment of  the  external  evidences;  and  on  the  chronologj',  Wieseler's  "Chronology  of  the 
Apostolic  Times"  {Chronologie  des  Apost.  Zeitalters)  is  esteemed  as  most  satisfactory 
by  those  who  deny  a  second  Roman  imprisonment.  For  discussions  on  special  topics  in 
the  epistles,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  add,  see  Home's  "  Introduction,"  edited  by  Tregelles  ; 
Smith's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible"  ;  Alexander's,  Kitto's  "Cyclopedia  of  Biblical  Litera- 
ture" ;  and  McClintock  and  Strong's  "Cyclopedia." 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO 

TIMOTHY. 


SECTION  FIRST. — SKETCH  OF  TIMOTHY's  LIFE. 

Timothy  was  probably  a  native  of  Lystra,  in  Lycaoiiia.  His  fatlier  was  a  Greek,  but 
his  mother  a  Jewe.ss.  (Acts  16  :  1-3.)  He  was  early  instructed  in  the  Scriptures,  and, 
under  the  pious  influence  of  his  mother,  Eunice,  and  his  grandmother,  Lois,  was  doubtless 
trained  in  the  knowledge  and  observances  of  the  Hebrew  religion.  (2  Tim.  1  :  5  ;  3  :  14, 
15.)  His  conversion  seems  to  have  occurred  under  Paul's  ministry,  during  the  apostle's 
first  visit  to  Lystra,  on  the  first  missionary  journey  (a.  d.  48—19) ;  for  Paul  commonly 
refers  to  him  as  "his  own  son  in  the  faith."  (1  Tim.  1  :  2;  2  Tim.  2:2.)  On  the 
second  missionary  journey,  A.  D.  51-54,  Timothy,  being  "well  reported  of  by  the  brethren 
that  were  at  Lystra  and  Iconium,"  was  selected  by  the  apostle  as  his  assistant  in  the 
missionary  work,  and,  after  his  circumcision  (Acts  16  :  3),  was  formally  set  apart  to  tlie 
work  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  presbytery.  With  this  were  connected  the 
laying  on  of  Paul's  hands  as  an  apostle,  imparting  the  special,  miraculous  gifts  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  also  certain  prophetic  utterances  pointing  out  his  divine  call,  as  in  the 
case  of  Barnabas  and  Saul  (Acts  13:2),  and  perhaps  predicting  the  future  usefulness  of 
the  youthful  minister.  (1  Tim.  1  :  18  ,  4  :  14  ;  2  Tim.  1  :  6.)  Thenceforward  to  the  end 
of  Paul's  life,  he  remains  the  loved  and  trusted  friend  and  companion  of  the  apostle, 
associated  with  him  in  all  the  perils  and  labors  and  triumphs  of  Ins  wonderful  career  ; 
and  the  latest  words  of  Paul,  written  just  before  his  martyrdom,  were  sent  to  this  true 
and  faithful  disciple. 

Frequent  notices  of  him  are  found  in  the  Acts  and  the  Pauline  Epistles.  From  Lystra 
he  accompanied  Paul  through  Asia  Minor  to  Macedonia,  and  assisted  in  planting  the 
gospel  at  Philippi  (Phil.  2  :  22)  and  probably  in  Thessalonica.  At  Berea  he  is  left 
behind,  with  Silas,  when  Paul  is  driven  away  ;  and  from  this  place,  or  from  Athens,  he 
was  sent  back  to  Thessalonica  to  guide  and  strengthen  the  imperfectly  instructed  and 
persecuted  church  there.  (1  Thess.  3:2.)  On  leaving,  he  came,  with  Sihus,  to  Paul  at 
Corinth,  where  he  labored  in  the  establishment  of  the  gospel,  as  also  in  the  neighboring 
cities  of  Achaia.  (Acts  18  :  5;  1  Thess.  3:6.)  His  name,  with  that  of  Silas,  is 
associated  with  Paul's  in  the  two  epistles  to  the  Thrssalonians  written  at  Corinth,  and 
liis  .service  in  that  city  is  mentioned  with  high  commendation.  (1  Cor.  1  :  19. )  On  the 
apostle's  third  missionary  journey  he  is  again  seen  with  him  at  Ephosus  ;  and  near  the 
close  of  the  three  years  spent  there,  he  is  sent  to  Macedonia  and  Achaia  on  special  service 
to  the  churches  in  those  regions.  (Acts  19  :  21,  22  ;  1  Cor.  4  :  17  ;  16  :  1 1.)  Returning, 
he  is  present  with  the  apostle  when,  in  Macedonia — probably  in  the  autumn.  A.  D.  57 — 
the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  is  written  (2  Cor.  1:1);  and  in  the  following 
winter,  A.  D.  58,  he  is  laboring  with  Paul  at  Corinth,  when  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  is 
written,  as  he  there  unites  in  the  salutations  sent  to  friends  at  Rome.     (Rom.  16  :  21.) 

15 


16        INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  TIMOTHY. 

On  Paul's  return  eastward  through  Macedonia,  Timothy  was  in  the  coiupanj'  that 
preceded  him  from  Pliilippi  and  waited  for  liim  at  Troas.     (Acts  20  :  5.) 

His  subsequent  course  at  this  time  is  not  indicated.  It  is  not  certain  whether  he 
accompanied  the  apostle  to  Jerusalem,  and  was  with  him  during  the  two  years  imprison- 
ment at  Caesarea  and  the  voyage  to  Rome.  But  he  was  with  him  during  the  first  Roman 
imprisonment, — A.  D.  61-63, — as  he  is  mentioned  with  glowing  eulogy  in  some  of  the 
epistles  written  at  that  tiuie  (Col.  1:1;  Pliilem.  1  ;  Phil.  1:1);  and  in  this  last 
epistle  Paul  speaks  of  his  intention  to  send  him  to  Philippi  for  the  comforting  of  the 
church  there.  (2  :  19-2o.)  If  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  belongs  to  this  period,  it  was 
probably  at  this  time  that  Timothy  suffered  imprisonment  at  Rome  (Heb.  13  :  23),  and 
possibly  there,  in  the  presence  of  the  Roman  Imperial  Court,  witnessed  the  "  good 
confession  before  many  witnesses."  (1  Tim.  6  :  12. )  After  the  release  of  Paul  from 
the  first  imprisonment  at  Kome,  A.  D.  63  or  64,  his  career,  like  that  of  the  apostle,  is  not 
certainly  known  ;  but  A.  D.  65  or  66  he  is  with  Paul  at  Ephesus,  and  on  Paul's  passing 
into  Macedonia,  Timothy  is  left  behind  to  act  in  the  apostle's  place  during  his  absence. 
(1  Tim.  1:3.)  The  separation  seems  to  have  been  one  deeply  sorrowful  to  Timothy,  who 
doubtless  trembled  in  view  of  the  responsibihties  thus  devolved  on  him.  (2  Tim  1:4.) 
At  a  later  period, — in  the  fall,  A.  D.  67, — the  apostle,  then  a  prisoner  at  Rome,  writes 
the  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  charging  him  to  hasten  his  coming  to  that  city  and  giving 
to  him  his  farewell  counsels.  Beyond  this,  nothing  is  certainly  known  respecting  this 
chief  assistant  of  Paul.  Whether  he  actually  reached  Rome  before  the  apostle's  mar- 
tyrdom, and  thus  was  present  to  cheer  him  in  the  closing  scenes,  is  now  unknown. 
Ecclesiastical  tradition,  which,  however,  is  colored  by  hierarchical  interest,  makes  him 
the  first  Bishop  of  Ephesus  ;  but  this  is  in  direct  conflict  with  the  whole  tenor  of  the 
Epistle,  in  which  he  everywhere  appears,  not  as  bishop,  but  as  an  assistant  of  the  apostle ; 
nor  is  there  a  shadow  of  support  for  the  tradition  in  authentic  history.  He  is  reported  as 
having  suffered  martyrdom  under  Domitian  or  Trajan. 

The  character  of  Timothy,  as  seen  in  Scripture,  is  one  of  rare  beauty.  He  seems  to 
have  suffered,  like  the  apostle,  from  ill  health,  probably  occasioned  by  the  hardships 
and  privations  of  the  missionaiy  life.  It  is  not  improbable  that  these  "  often  infirmities  " 
tended  to  depress  his  spirits  (1  Tim.  5  :  23),  and  led  to  a  certain  timidity,  which  gave 
occasion  for  the  exhortations  of  Paul,  summoning  him  to  courage  and  fortitude  in  the 
perplexing  and  responsible  posts  he  occupied.  (1  Cor.  16  :  10 ;  1  Tim.  4  :  12  ;  2  Tim. 
1:7.)  But  nowhere  is  there  any  indication  of  a  real  failure  of  faith.  From  his  call  at 
Lystra,  A.  D.  51,  to  the  end  of  Paul's  life,  A.  D.  68,  he  appears  as  the  loved  and  trusted 
companion  and  helper  of  the  apostle,  never  swerving  from  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  never 
shrinking  from  the  post  of  toil  and  danger  and  .suffering,  and  never  failing  either  in 
fidelity  to  the  trusts  committed  to  him,  or  in  love  and  loyalty  to  Paul  or  to  Paul's  great 
Master. 

SECTION  SECOND. — THE  TIME  AND   OCCASION   OF  WRITING. 

It  has  already  been  shown  that  this  Epistle  falls  within  the  period  between  the  first 
and  second  imprisonment  of  Paul  at  Rome,  and  may  probably  be  dated  A.  D.  65  or  66. 
The  apostle  had  been  laboring  at  Ephesus,  but,  on  taking  his  journey  to  Macedonia,  had 
left  Timothy  behind  to  act  in  his  place  in  the  Ephesian  Church.  There  were  two  sources 
of  grave  anxiety.  False  teachers  were  arising  in  that  church,  apparently  Jewisli  in  their 
origin,  "desiring  to  be  teachers  of  the  law,"  who  taught  that,  tlirough  an.sterities  and 
a  certain  secret  knowledge,  men  attain  a  higher  holiness  than  through  faith  in  Christ  and 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  TIMOTHY.       17 


works  of  practical  piety.  This  was  accompanied  by  a  debased  ethical  standard,  and  a 
factious,  disorganizing  spirit.  The  other  matter  of  anxiety  related  to  the  right  organiza- 
tion and  practical  administration  of  the  church  by  the  admission  to  official  station  oidy  of 
duly  qualified  men  ;  by  the  proper  dispensing  of  the  charities  of  the  church,  especially  in 
the  case  of  widows ;  by  the  maintenance  of  quiet  obedience  to  masters  on  the  part  of 
Christian  slaves,  and  by  the  repression  of  the  inordinate  love  of  earthly  gain  which 
prevailed,  especially  among  the  heretical  class,  in  that  wealthy  and  luxurious  capital  of 
Proconsular  Asia.  The  position  of  Timothy — as  representative  of  the  apostle  in  that 
large  and  influential  church,  and  as  presiding  over  affairs  among  elders,  some  of  whom 
must  have  been  much  older  than  himselt^ — was  one  of  great  and  delicate  responsibility. 
It  was  specially  important  that  his  power  to  act  by  the  authority  of  the  apostle  be  fully 
authenticated,  and  he  be  given  clear  and  explicit  instructions  for  his  guidance.  Paul 
therefore,  after  reaching  Macedoni:i,  sends  this  Epistle  to  him,  an  Epistle  which,  while 
admirably  adapted  for  this  immediate  end,  was  also  fitted  to  be  a  guide  for  church  and 
ministerial  action  through  all  after  ages. 

SECTION  THIRD. — THE  CONTENTS. 

No  formal,  sj'stematic  arrangement  is  found,  as  was  to  be  expected  in  an  epistle  to  a 
personal,  familiar  friend.  The  topics  follow  each  other  naturally,  but  apparently  without 
premeditated  order. 

Chapter  First. — Address  and  salutation  (1,  2);  his  purpose  in  leaving  Timothy  at 
Ephesus  (3,  4)  ;  the  character  of  the  false  teachers  of  the  law  whom  he  is  to  withstand 
(5-7);  the  excellence  and  true  end  of  law,  which  these  pervert  (8-11)  ;  Paul's  thank- 
fulness to  God  for  his  conversion  and  call  to  the  ministry,  notwithstanding  his  sin  in 
persecuting  the  church  (12-17)  ;  solemn  charge  to  fidelity  in  his  ministry  (18-20). 

Chapter  Second. — The  duty  of  public  prayer  for  all  men,  especially  for  rulers, 
grounded  on  God's  provision  of  mercy  for  all  (1-7) ;  the  position  and  duties  of  the  sexes 
in  public  worship  (8-15). 

Chapter  Third. — The  qualifications  required  in  a  bishop  (1-7) ;  those  required  in 
deacons  (8-13) ;  necessity  of  attending  to  these  instructions,  from  the  dignity  of  the 
church  as  the  house  of  God,  and  its  importance  as  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth 
(14-16). 

Chapter  Fourth. — Prediction  and  description  of  a  departure  from  the  gospel  (1-5)  ; 
foolish  and  superstitious  fables  are  to  be  avoided,  and  practical  piety,  rather  than 
austerities,  to  be  cultivated  (6-10) ;  solemn  admonition  to  personal  holiness  and  ministerial 
fidelity  (11-16). 

Chapter  Fifth. — The  spirit  and  manner  in  which  admonition  is  to  be  given  (1,  2) ; 
the  duty  of  the  church  in  regard  to  the  care  of  widows  (3-16) ;  directions  as  to  the 
compensation,  discipHne,  and  selection  of  elders  (17,  18). 

Chapter  Sixth. — The  duties  of  Christian  slaves  to  their  masters  (1,  2);  the  evil 
character  and  influence  of  those  who,  opposing  this  instruction,  teach  a  diffterent  doctrine 
(3-5);  godliness  with  contentment  great  gain  (6-10);  Timothy,  as  a  minister  of  God, 
must  pursue  high  and  holy  objects  (11-16) ;  the  rich  must  not  trust  in  riches,  but  in  God 
17-19) ;  solemn  closing  charge  to  Timothy  to  be  true  to  the  great  trust  committed  to 
him,  and  an  invocation  of  God's  grace  upon  him  (20,  21). 


THE  FIRST  EPISTLE  TO  TIMOTHY. 


CHAPTER  I. 


PAUL,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  by  the  corumand- 
ment  of  God  our  Saviour,  and  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
which  is  our  hope  ; 

2  Uuto  Timothy,  my  owu  son  in  the  faith:  Grace, 
mercy,  and  peace,  from  (jod  our  Father,  and  Jesus 
Clirist  our  Lord. 


1  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus  according  to  the 
couimandiuent  of  God  our  Saviour,  and  Christ  Jesus 
our   hope;   unto   Timothy,  my  true  child  iu  faith: 

2  Grace,  mercy,  peace,  from  God  the  Father  and  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord. 


Ch.  I:  1-2.  Address  AND  Salutation.— 
Paul,  an  apostle  by  divine  commandment, 
addresses  Timothy  as  his  true  child  in  the 
faith,  and  invokes  on  him  grace,  mercy,  and 
peace  from  God  our  Father  and  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord. 

1.  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ. 
The  word  'apostle'  signifies:  1.  One  sent — 
used  of  messengers  sent  by  the  churches 
(iCor.  8:23) ;  of  Bamabas  and  Saul  as,  under 
tlie  direction  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  sent  by  the 
church  at  Antioch  to  the  missionary  work 
(Acts  13: 2-5) ;  and  of  Christ,  assent  by  God  for 
the  salvation  of  men.  (Heb.  3:i.)  2.  One  spe- 
cially appointed  to  the  apostolic  office^  as  the 
Twelve  (Lukeie:  n-ie),  and  as  Paul  ( acw  22 :  u,  is ; 
Gal.  1:1,  u-20.)  The  word  is  used  here  in  the 
second  of  these  senses,  designating  Paul  as 
one  called  to  the  apostolic  office,  and  invested 
with  its  authority.  Here,  however,  as  Paul's 
apostolic  authority  would  not  be  questioned 
by  Timothy,  his  companion  and  fellow  la- 
borer, it  is  not  emphasized  and  proved,  as  in 
the  Epistles  to  Corinth  and  Galatia,  but  is 
mentioned  to  indicate  that  the  Epistle  is  not 
simply  one  of  personal  friendship,  but  has  also 
an  official  character,  and  to  certify  to  all 
readers  alike  the  divine  authority  of  the  in- 
struStions  herein  given  and  the  official  position 
of  Timothy  as  an  authorized  assistant  and 
delegate  of  an  apostle.  By  (or,  according  to) 
the  commandment.  Compare  Titus  1  :  3. 
For  this  commandment,  see  Acts  19  :  15;  22: 
21 ;  26  :  17,  18.  Of  God  our  Saviour.  This 
expression,  which  is  frequent  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, as  Ps.  24  :  5;  51  :  14;  Isa.  45  :  15,  and  is 
occasionally  found  elsewhere  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, as  Luke  1  :47;  Jude  25,  is  used  by 
Paul  only  in  the  Pastoral  Epistles,  and  may 
indicate  that  they  were  written  at  a  later 
period  of  life  than  the  other  Epistles.     (1  Tim. 

2:3;   4:10;    Tltun  1  :  3;    2:10;  3:4.)      The    Conception. 

however,  of  salvation  as  originating  with  God 


the  Father  is  one  common  to  all  his  epistles. 
(Col.  1 :  13 ;  1  Cor.  1 :  21.)  And  Lord  Jcsus  Christ, 
which  is  our  hope.  All  our  hope  is  in  him, 
in  what  he  was  and  did  on  earth,  what  he  is 
for  us  in  heaven,  and  what  he  will  be,  and 
will  do,  for  us  hereafter.  Compare  Col.  1  :  27. 
"Not  merely  the  author  of  hope,  nor  the 
object  of  it,  but  its  very  substance  and  foun- 
dation." (Ellicott.)  "In  him  alone  resides 
the  whole  substance  of  our  salvation."  (Cal- 
vin.) 

2.  Unto  Timothy,  my  own  (or,  genuine) 
son  in  the  faith.  This  refers  to  him:  1.  As 
converted  under  Paul's  ministry,  probably 
during  the  apostle's  first  visit  to  Lystra. 
(Acts  14:6-20.)  It  thus  indicates  the  special  spir- 
itual bond  which  binds  him  who  is  the  means 
of  conversion  to  the  soul  converted,  so  often 
referred  to  in  Scripture  (i  Cor.  4:  u-n;  g»i.  4:  i9) ; 
a  relation  which  is  represented  as  indissoluble 
even  by  death,  and  as  recognized  before  God 
at  the  last  day.  (i  thpss.  2:  i»,  20.)  It  will  then 
constitute  the  Chri.stian's  "crown  of  rejoic- 
ing" ;  his  "glory  and  joy."  2.  As  faithful 
to  the  doctrines  and  worU  of  Paul,  a  true  rep- 
resentative of  the  apostle's  life  and  spirit  and 
teachings,  and  thus,  as  bearing  his  spiritual 
likeness,  his  " genui7te  son  in  the  faith." 
Grace,  mercy,  and  peace.  This  invocation 
of  a  threefold  blessing,  asking  mercy  as  well 
as  grace  and  peace,  is  found  only  in  the  Pas- 
toral Epistles  (2  Tim.  1:2;  Titus  1:4;  and  in 
2  John  3) ;  a  fact  which,  so  far  from  disprov- 
ing the  Pau'ine  authorship  of  these  epistles, 
is  a  strong  proof  of  their  genuineness;  for  no 
imitator,  in  a  place  so  conspicuous  as  the  sal- 
utation, would  have  made  .«<>  marked  a  devia- 
tion from  the  apostle's  well-known  form.  It  is 
far  more  natural  to  think  that  Paul,  writingin 
his  old  age  tO'assistants  specially  beloved,  and 
for  whom  he  felt  the  keenest  solicitude,  in- 
serted the  additional  prayer  for  "mercy,"  as 
springing  from  his  own  enlarged  experience 

I'J 


20 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  T. 


3  As  I  besought  thee  to  abide  still  at  Epbesiis,  when 
I  went  into  Macedonia,  that  thou  mightesl  charge  some 
that  they  teach  no  other  doctrine, 

4  Neither  give  heed  to  fables  and  endless  genealogies, 


3  As  I  exhorted  thee  to  tarry  at  Ephesus,  when  I 
was  going  into  Macedonia,  that  tbou  migbtest 
charge  certain  men  not  to  teach  a  diflerent  doctrine, 

4  neither  to  give  heed  to  fables  and  endless  genealogies. 


and  his  deep  interest  in  them.  'Grace,'  in 
the  language  of  Paul,  denotes  God's  free,  un- 
merited favor.  'Mercy  and  peace'  are  the 
twofold  manifestations  of  that  favor;  the 
former  objectively,  in  justification,  forgive- 
ness, or  remission  of  sin,  and  adoption  into 
God's  family;  the  latter  subjectively,  in  re- 
generation and  sanctification,  the  peace  which 
flows  from  a  consciousness  of  reconciliation 
and  union  with  God.  The  whole  expression 
is  designed  to  invoke  on  Timothy  all  the  full- 
ness of  blessing  which  comes  through  the  gos- 
pel. From  God  our  Father  and  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.  The  union  of  Christ  with 
the  Father,  above  in  the  commission  of  Paul 
as  an  apostle,  and  here  in  this  invocation,  of 
necessity  involves  his  co-equal  divinity;  to 
place  a  creature,  even  the  most  exalted  con- 
ceivable, thus  side  by  side  with  the  Infinite 
God,  would  be  impious.  God  alone  can  stand 
to  us  in  the  relations  and  fulfill  the  oflBces  here 
indicated.  "Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  un- 
doubtedly and  undeniably  God,  because  he  is 
our  hope  and  trust;  now,  if  he  were  no  more 
than  a  man,  though  never  so  excellent,  to 
make  him  '  our  hope'  would  be  to  make  our- 
selves miserable;  for  'cursed  is  the  man  that 
trusteth  in  man,  and  maketh  flesh  his  arm.' 

(Jer.l7:5.)"       (Burkitt.) 

3-4.  Timothy  Exhorted  to  Eemain  at 
Ephesus. — As  Paul,  when  going  to  Mace- 
donia, had  urged  Timothy  to  remain  at  Ephe- 
sus, that  he  might  hold  in  check  certain  here- 
sies and  false  tendencies,  so  now  also  he  wills 
that  he  continue  there  for  that  purpose. 

3.  As  I  besought  thee.  Mark  the  tender- 
ness and  gentleness  of  Paul  to  his  assistant;  he 
did  not  command,  but  he  besought  him.  It  im- 
plies, perhaps,  some  reluctance  on  the  part  of 
Timothy  to  be  separated  from  the  apostle,  and 
to  assume  a  position  responsible  and  difficult 
as  that  of  the  representative  of  the  apostle  in 
this  great  city.  When  I  went  unto  (or,  ions 
setting  out  for)  Macedonia.  The  expression 
does  not  absolutely  decide  that  the  apostle  was 
at  Ephesus  when  he  thus  besou^rht  Timothy; 
but,  taken  with  the  context,  this  is  certainly 
tlie  natural  interpretation.  To  abide  still 
iu  Ephesus.    Timothy  was  then  at  Ephesus, 


and  the  apostle  desires  him  to  remain  there. 
This  journey  of  Paul  to  Macedonia,  therefore, 
cannot  be  the  one  referred  to  in  Acts  20  :  1 ; 
for  at  that  time  Timothy  was  not  left  at  Ephe- 
sus, but  had  been  sent  before  to  Macedonia 
(Acts  19:22),  where  he  evidently  remained  after 
the  apostle's  coming,  since  he  is  associated 
with  Paul  in  the  salutation  of  the  Second 
Epistle  to  Corinth,  which  was  soon  after  writ- 
ten from  Macedonia.  (2  Cor.  1:1.)  That  thou 
mightest  charge  some.  He  is  to  hold  in 
check  certain  persons  in  regard  to  the  fol- 
lowing things:  That  they  teach  no  other 
doctrine — that  is,  no  different,  opposing  doc- 
trine to  that  tiiught  by  Paul.  It  thus  appears 
that  it  was  among  the  teachers  of  the  church 
these  dangerous  tendencies  existed,  and  that 
the  prophecy  of  the  apostle,  uttered  eight 
years  before,  while  taking  leave  of  the  elders 
of  Ephesus,  was  already  fulfilled  when  he 
said :  "Also  of  your  own  selves  shall  men 
arise,  speaking  perverse  things,  to  draw  away 
disciples  after  them."    (Acts  20 :  so.) 

4.  Nor  give  heed  to  fables  and  end- 
less genealogies.  These  fables  (ixvOoi), 
without  adequate  reason,  have  been  referred 
to  the  speculations  of  that  Gnosticism  which 
prevailed  in  the  second  century',  whereas 
they  seem  plainly  to  have  been  Jewish. 
They  are  described  in  ch.  4  :  7,  as  "pro- 
fitne  and  old  wives'  fables,"  and  in  Titus 
1  :  14  as  "Jewish  fables."  Probably  they 
were  such  as  abound  in  the  Kahbinic  writings 
and  wliich,  as  contemporary  writers,  Philo 
and  Josephus,  snow,  prevailed  especially 
among  the  Oriental  Jews.  The  '  endless  gene- 
alogies'  have  been  variously  explained:  («) 
Of  the  emanations  of  a>ons,  as  taught  in  the 
later  Gnosticism  ;  thus  Iren»us  and  Tertullian 
among  the  Fathers  and  many  modern  exposi- 
tors; (/;)  of  Jewish  genealogies,  such  as  are 
found  in  the  Old  Testiiment,  but  e.spocially  iu 
the  Rabbinical  books,  and  to  which  the  Ori- 
ental Jews  gave  an  allegorical  interpretation. 
The  latter  seems  the  more  probable  view,  as 
in  Titus  3  :  9  these  genealogies  are  connected 
with  "strivings  about  the  law."  From  the 
standpoint  of  the  Judaizing  Chri.stians,  these 
genealogies,  showing  descent  from  Abraham 


Ch.  I.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


21 


which  niiuister  questions,  rather  than  godly  edifying 
which  is  iu  fuith:  so  do. 

5  Now  the  end  of  the  comiuandnient  is  charity  out 
of  a  pure  heart,  and  o/  a  good  couscieuce,  and  0/  faith 
unfeigned: 

(i  I'loiu  wliich  some  having  swerved  have  turned 
aside  unto  vain  jangling: 


the  which  minister  questionings,  rather  than  a  '  dis- 

5  jjensation  of  God  which  is  in  laith:  m  do  1  now.     But 
the  end  of  the  charge  is  love  out  of  a  pure  hiart  and 

6  a  good  conscience  and  faith  unteigned:  fnini  which 
things  some  having  -swerved  have  turned  aside  unto 


1  Or,  atewardskip 2  Or.  mitaed  the  mark. 


and  a  consequent  cluim  to  the  promises  made 
to  him,  were  of  supreme  importance;  but,  as 
Herod  had  caused  the  public  registers  of  gene- 
alogies formerly  kept  in  the  Temple  to  be 
destroyed,  and  there  were  now  no  means  of 
verifying  them,  the  ditBculties  respecting  them 
must  needs  be  'endless,'  and  the  discussion  of 
them,  while  leading  to  no  useful  result,  would 
minister  only  to  strifes.  Thus,  in  substance. 
Van  Oosterzee,  Wordsworth,  Ellicott,  and 
/,  Iford.  The  which  (they  being  such  as) 
minister  questions  (controversies)  rather 
than  godly  edifying  (or,  the  dispensation  of 
God)  which  is  in  faith.  The  reason  for 
holding  in  check  these  false  tendencies:  they 
serve  to  foster  the  spirit  of  controversy,  but 
fail  to  supply  truth,  that  food  of  the  soul 
which  God  dispenses  in  the  gospel,  and  which 
is  received  only  in  faith.  This  alone  has  real 
worth  ;  for  only  through  divine  truth  are  the 
souls  of  men  regenerated  and  sanctified. 
(1  Peter  1 :  23 ;  John  17 :  17.)  The  dispensation  of  God 
is  the  reading  found  in  all  the  older  manu- 
scripts, and  sustained  by  all  the  best  editors; 
'godly  edifying'  rests  upon  no  critical  au- 
thority. 

5-7.  The  False  Teachers  of  the  Law 
Descrihed.— The  design  or  end  of  the  mes- 
sage with  which  Timothy  is  charged  is  love, 
springing  from  a  pure  heart,  a  good  con- 
science, and  a  genuine  faith;  but  the  false 
teachers,  because  failing  of  these  qualities, 
have  turned  aside  to  empty,  disputatious  talk; 
and  while  desiring  to  be  accounted  teachers  of 
the  law,  they  understand  neither  their  own 
speculations,  nor  the  nature  and  end  of  the 
law  of  which  they  so  strongly  affirm. 

5.  But — in  contrast  with  the  end  or  ten- 
dency of  the  fables  and  genealogies  referred 
to  above.  The  end  of  the  commandment 
— or,  charge;  the  aim,  scope,  or  purpose  of 
the  charge  committed  to  Timothy;  namely, 
the  message  and  work  of  the  Christian  minis- 
try in  their  practical  bearing  on  character  and 
life.  Is  charity  (or,  lone).  To  awaken  and 
foster  love  is  the  aim  and   tendency  of  the 


gospel  message;  whereas,  these  idle  questions 
tend  only  to  strife  and  hatred.  (21101. 2:2:1.) 
"  Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law."  (R"m.  13 :  10.) 
It  is  the  supreme,  crowning  grace  of  Christian 
character,  the  beauty  and  power  and  perpet- 
uity of  which  are  elsewhere  so  graphically 
.depicted  by  our  apostle,  (icor.  13.)  It  is,  there- 
fore, the  grand  result  which  all  true  preaching 
seeks.  "The  highest  aim  of  all  the  labor  of  a 
Christian  preacher  should  be  a  practical  one; 
namely,  to  call  forth  true  love."  (Oi^hausen.) 
The  love,  thus  developed,  springs  out  of  (1)  a 
pure  heart;  a  heart  made  pure  in  affection 
and  single  in  purpose  by  faith.  This  purity 
of  heart,  which  the  Scriptures  represent  as 
essential  to  true  religion  (Mutt.  5:8;  2  Tim.  2:22; 
Titus  1:15)  is  Constantly  ascribed  to  faith  as  its 
means.  "Purifying  their  hearts  bj^  faith." 
(Acts  15: 9.)  (2)  A  good  conscience — either 
a  conscience  pure  in  conscious  rectitude  of 
motive,  as  was  Paul's  even  before  his  conver- 
sion (Acts  23:1;  26:9);  or  a  consciencc  made  free 
from  the  sense  of  guilt  through  justification  in 
Christ's  blood,  and  consequently'  acting  in  the 
light  and  under  the  inspirings  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  (Rom.  9:1.)  The  latter  is  probably  in- 
tended, as  this  is  the  constant  conception  of 
Paul,  with  whom  a  quickened,  spiritualized 
conscience  is  always  the  effect  of  justification. 

(Eom.  7:6;    Heb.  9  :  U ;    10:22.)       "A    COnScicnce    UH- 

reconciled  to  God  and  man  cannot  love  purely, 
because  it  cannot  believe."  (De  Wette.)  (3) 
Faith  unfeigned — genuine  faith,  as  opposed 
to  that  which  is  pretended,  hypocritical.  The 
heart  and  conscience,  the  whole  moral  and 
spiritual  life,  thus  pervaded,  purified,  and  up- 
lifted by  a  genuine  faith,  becomes  a  fountain 
of  love,  from  which  a  life  of  love  issues.  In 
such  souls  "the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life" 
dominates,  and,  as  the  result,  they  are  "spir- 
itually minded, "  and  "living  in  the  Spirit" 
they  are  "led  by  the  Spirit."     (Rom.  8:6. 9,  is.) 

6.  From  (or,  of)  which  (qualities  of  heart 
and  conscience  and  faith)  some  having 
swerved — literally,  having  missed,  ns  of  those 
who  miss  a  mark.     They  pretend  to  aim  at  the 


22 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  I. 


7  Desiring  to  be  teachers  of  the  law;  understanding 
neither  what  tbey  say,  nor  whereof  they  affirm. 

8  Bat  we  know  that  the  law  is  good,  if  a  man  use  it 
lawfully: 

9  Knowing   this,  that   the    law  is   not  made  for  a 
righteous  man,  but  for  the  lawless  and  disobedient,  for 


7  vain   talking;   desiring   to  be  teachers  of  the  law, 
though  they  understand  neither  what  they  say,  nor 

8  whereof  they  confidently  attirui.     But  we  know  that 
y  the  law  is  good,  if  a  man  use  it  lawfully,  as  knowing 

tbis,  that  law  is  not  made  fur  a  righteous  man,  but 


mark,  but  instead  have  turned  aside  unto 

vain  jangling — empty,  senseless,  and  disputa- 
tious talk.  The  '  vain  janglings'  here  spoken 
of  finds  abundant  illustration  in  the  Kab- 
binical  writings,  which  are  full  of  absurd 
stories  and  speculations.  Oberve:  it  was  the 
failure  in  these  moral  qualities  which  led  to 
their  perversion  of  the  gospel  in  preaching. 
The  heart  is  the  real  source  of  error  in  relig- 
ion. Sin  blinds  the  spiritual  perceptions  and 
perverts  the  spiritual  judgment.  All  false 
religious  tendencies  originate  in  a  perverted 
heart.  See  Matt.  7  :  22,  23;  Rom.  16  :  17,  18; 
2  Thess.  2  :  11,  12 ;  Titus  1  :  10;  2  Peter  2  :  3. 

7.  Desiring  to  be  teachers  of  the  law. 
They  wished  to  be  regarded  as  teachers  of  the 
law,  to  be  "called  Rabbi,"  though  (from  lack 
of  these  moral  qualities)  understanding 
neither  what  they  say — that  is,  the  real  im- 
port of  the  assertions  tliey  make^nor  where- 
of they  affirm.  Darkened  in  spiritual  per- 
ception, they  failed  of  a  clear  apprehension 
alike  of  the  true  nature  and  scope  of  their 
own  speculations,  and  of  the  law  itself,  re- 
specting which  they  so  confidently  affirmed. 
Plainly  the  teachers  of  the  law  here  are  not 
the  Judaizers  opposed  in  Romans,  Galatians, 
and  the  earlier  epistles  of  Paul.  Here  he  is 
dealing,  as  Alford  well  says,  "with  men  who 
corrupted  .the  material  enactments  of  the 
moral  law,  and  founded  on  Judaism,  not  as- 
sertions of  its  obligation,  but  idle  fables  and 
allegories,  letting  in  latitude  of  morals  and 
unholiness  of  life.  It  is  against  this  abuse  of 
the  law  that  his  arguments  are  directed;  no 
formal  question  arises  of  the  obligation  of  the 
law;  these  men  struck  by  their  interpretation 
at  the  root  of  the  divine  law  itself." 

The  general  thought  of  the  paragraph  is 
summed  up  by  Scott:  "The  design  of  the 
gospel  is  not  answered  by  speculation  and 
solving  abstract  questions,  or  giving  heed  to 
fables  and  endless  disputations;  but  when  sin- 
ners, through  repentance  toward  God  and 
faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  are  brought  to  the  ha- 
bitual exercise  of  holy  love,  out  of  'a  pure 
lieart,  a  good  conscience,  and  faith  unfeigned.' 
All  doctrines,  ordinances,  and  forms  arc  just 


so  far  beneficial  to  us  as  they  are  useful  in 
producing  this  effect  in  our  hearts  and  lives; 
and  all  that  faith  is  dead  which  does  not  thus 
influence  men  to  love  God  and  each  other,  in  » 
practical  manner." 

8-11.  Thk  Divine  Law,  though  thus 
Perverted,  has  its  Right  Use,  Accord- 
ing TO  the  Gospel. — The  law  is  morally  ex- 
cellent, if  used  (by  the  teacher)  according  to 
its  true  purpose,  since,  according  to  the  gospel, 
the  law  has  its  proper  application,  not  to  the 
righteous,  but  to  the  wicked.  "It  was  not 
made  to  fetter  conscience  by  vain  and  trouble- 
some austerities  and  ceremonies;  it  was  to 
restrain  and  bind  the  wicked." 

8.  But  we  know — Paul's  usual  method  of 
affirming  a  general  truth  which  all  must  con- 
cede; it  is  probably  used  here  concessively. 
That  the  law  is  good — not  useful  merely, 
but  morally  excellent ;  good  in  itself,  and  of 
good  tendency.  (Rom.  7 :  12-16.)  If  a  man  use 
it  lawfully — that  is,  conformably  to  its  true 
design.  As  if  he  had  said:  "We  concede,  as 
all  mu.st,  that  the  law  is  in  itself  good  ;  but,  in 
teaching,  it  must  be  used  in  a  manner  con- 
formably to  its  design."  It  was  not  intended 
as  a  means  of  the  sanctification  of  saints,  but 
as  a  means  of  conviction  and  warning  for  the 
wicked.  It  cannot,  therefore,  be  that  means 
of  higher  Christian  experience  and  life  which 
these  false  teachers  would  make  it.  The 
teacher,  therefore,  is  to  use  it  conformably'  to 
its  true  intention. 

9.  Knowing  this,  that  the  law  is  not 
made — is  not  enacted,  appointed,  does  not 
exist — for  a  righteous  man,  a  Christian, 
who  has  been  constituted  righteous  by  justifi- 
cation, and  is  righteous  by  virtue  of  regenera- 
tion and  sanctification.  "  Since,  according  to 
the  invariable  doctrine  of  the  apostle,  all  who 
are  under  the  law  are  also  under  the  curse  of 
the  law,  so  that  by  the  works  of  the  law  no 
flesh  can  be  justified  (0:ii.3:io;  Rom.  .•) :  20),  it  fol- 
lows that  by  the  righteovis  a  Christian  man 
must  be  meant,  one  who  has  been  justified  by 
faith  in  Christ,  and  wholly  renewed  by  the 
H0I3'  Spirit.  Of  such  a  man,  Paul  says  that 
the  law  was  not  made  for  liiin."     (Van  Oos- 


Ch.  I.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


23 


the  ungodly  and  for  sinners,  for  unholy  and  profane, 
for  murderers  of  fathers  and  murderers  of  mothers,  lor 
manslayers, 

10  For  whoremongers,  for  them  that  defile  them- 
selves with  mankind,  for  menstealers,  for  liars,  for  per- 
jured persons,  and  if  there  be  any  other  thing  that  is 
contrary  to  sound  doctrine  ; 

11  According  to  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed 
God,  which  was  committed  to  my  trust. 


for  the  lawless  and  unruly,  for  the  ungodly  and  sin- 
ners, for  the  unholy  and  profane,  for  i  murderers  of 
fathers  and  i  murderers  of  mothers,  for  manslayers, 

10  for  fornicators,  for  abusers  of  themselves  with  men, 
for  men-stealcrs,  for  liars,  for  false  swearers,  and  if 
there  be  any  other  thing  contrary  to  the -sound  ^dou- 

11  trine;  according  to  tue  gospel  of  the  glory  of  the 
blessed  God,  which  was  commiited  to  my  trust. 


1  Or,  amiters 'i  Gr.  healthful  3  Or,  teaching. 


terzee. )  The  question  here  is  not  whether 
the  law,  especially  as  interpreted  by  Christi- 
anity, does  or  does  not  contain  for  Christians 
a  rule  of  life;  on  this  the  apostle  here  says 
nothing.  But  he  affirms  that  the  law  is  not 
the  divinely  appointed  means  of  sanctification, 
or  of  a  higher  Christian  life,  and  tiiut  conse- 
quently the  fiilse  teachers,  in  attributing  to 
the  law  such  a  function,  are  using  it  contrary 
to  its  design.  In  other  words,  he  denies  that 
the  office  of  the  law  is  to  sanctify — a  position 
he  has  clearly  proved  and  illustrated  in  Rom, 
7  :  4-25,  where  he  shows  that  the  eifect  of  law 
is  to  awaken  and  intensify  the  sin-principle, 
and  not  to  destroy  it. 

Those  for  whom  the  law  is  designed  are  now 
described  under  two  general  classes,  following 
the  order  of  the  Decalogue:  1.  Sinners  as 
aj'rayed  against  God:  But  for  the  lawless 
and  disobedient — those  who  refuse  to  be 
bound  by  any  law,  and  who  submit  to  no 
higher  authority.  (Titusi  :6,  lo.)  For  the  un- 
godly and  for  sinners — the  impious  and  sin- 
ful; in  nature  and  in  act  opposers  of  G-od. 
For  unholy  and  profane  persons  —  those 
who  are  impure  in  life  and  irreverent  toward 
that  which  is  sacred  ;  men  who  in  spirit  and 
in  character  are  the  moral  opposites  of  the  di- 
vine purity  and  sanctity.  2.  Sinners  as  ar- 
rayed against  society:  For  murderers  of 
fathers  and  murderers  of  mothers.  It  is 
probable,  as  EUicott,  Alford,  and  Huther  sug- 
gest, that  this  should  be  rendered /^Y/ier  smit- 
ers  and  mother  smiters,  since  parricide  and 
matricide  were  crimes  very  rare  even  among 
the  heathen,  and  tlie  original  words  are 
clearly  used  in  this  modified  sense  in  the  clas- 
sics. This  form  of  sin  against  the  fifth  com- 
mandment is  forbidden.  "He  that  smiteth 
his  father  or  his  mother  shall  be  surely  put  to 
death."  (Exod.  21 :  15.)  For  manslayers— mwr- 
derers. 

10.  For  whoremongers,  for  them  that 
defile  themselves  with  mankind — such  as 
commit  sins  of  uncleanness  forbidden  in  the 


seventh  commandment,  as  fornicators  and 
Sodomites.  (Kom.  1:27;  1  cor.  6  :  9.)  For  men- 
stealers— a  common  crime  among  tire  hea- 
then; kidnapping  men  for  slaves,  for  which 
the  law  prescribed  the  penalty  of  death. 
(Ex.  21:16.)  For  liars,  for  perjured  persons 
(or,  false  swearers),  denounced  in  the  ninth 
commandment,  and  especially  in  Lev.  19  :  12. 
A  false  swearer  designates  both  him  who 
swears  to  that  which  is  false  and  him  who 
proves  false  to  his  oath.  And  if  there  be 
any  other  thing— intended  to  show  that  the 
law  is  against  those  who  commit  any  form  of 
sin,  though  not  here  specially  mentioned. 
Contrary  to  sound  doctrine.  'Sound'  is, 
in  the  sense  here  intended,  a  word  peculiar  to 
the  Pastoral  Epistles.  In  its  literal  use  it 
denotes  that  which  is  healthy,  and  also  that 
ivhich  is  healthful.  Here,  therefore,  it  chjir- 
acterizes  teaching,  not  so  much  as  respects  its 
correctness,  accuracy,  although  this  is  in- 
volved ;  but  rather  as  respects  its  moral  health- 
fulness,  its  tendency  to  lead  to  holiness  of 
heart  and  life. 

11.  According  to  the  glorious  gospel 
(or,  gospel  of  the  glory)  of  the  blessed  God, 
which  was  committed  to  my  trust.  The 
gospel  is  the  manifestation  of  the  glory  of  the 
blessed  God,  since  it  is  the  highest  rfrvelntion 
of  his  glorious  nature  and  attributes;  (2  cor. 
4:4,6.)  This  verse  qualifies  the  whole  preced- 
ing statement,  and  affirms  that,  according  to 
the  gospel,  the  law  is  not  enacted  for  the  right- 
eous, but  for  the  lawless.  The  passage,  thus 
interpreted,  accords  with  Paul's  doctrine  of 
the  law,  as  unfolded  in  Romans  and  Gala- 
tians,  in  which  he  insists  that  the  office  of  the 
law,  among  sinful  men,  is  to  reveal  sin,  and 
thus  awaken  and  convict  the  sinner.  "By 
the  law  is  the  knowledge  {iiriyvuxriv)  of  sin." 
(Rom.  3:19,  20;  Gal.  .1:19, 24.)  He  denies  that  the 
law  has  power  either  to  justify  or  sanctify  the 
soul;  this  is  accomplished  only  by  faith  in 
Christ,  (oai. 2:16;  Rom. 7:9. 10.)  But  the  bellcver, 
though  neither  justified  nor  sanctified  by  tiie 


24 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  I. 


J2  And  I  thank  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,  who  hath 
enabled  me,  for  that  he  counted  me  taithful,  putting 
me  into  the  ministry  ; 

13  Who  was  before  a  blasphemer,  and  a  persecutor, 
and  injurious:  but  I  obtained  mercy,  because  I  did  it 
ignorauUy  in  unbelief. 


12  I  thank  him  who  i  enabled  nie  even  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord,  for  that  he  counted  me  faithful,  appoiut- 

13  Ing  me  to  his  service;  though  1  was  before  a  blas- 
phemer, and  a  persecutor,  and  injurious:  howbeit  I 


1  Some  aucieni  authoriiies  reud  enableth. 


law,  is  yet,  by  virtue  of  the  new  life-power, 
received  by  faith,  rising  to  conformity  to  law — 
a  conformity  which  constitutes  the  true  goal 
of  all  the  processes  of  salvation  begun  within 
him  by  "the  Spirit  of  life."  "  For  what  the 
law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak  through 
the  flesh,  God  sending  his  own  Son  in  the  like- 
ness of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin,  condemned  sin 
in  the  flesh,  that  the  righteousness  of  the  law 
might  be  fulfilled  iti  us,  who  walk  (in  that  we 
walk)  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit." 
(Rom.  8 : 3, 4.)  The  divine  law,  therefore,  though 
not  intended  for  Christians,  as  a  restraining 
and  penal  power,  does  yet,  in  its  essential 
nature  as  an  expression  of  God's  holiness, 
constitute  an  ideal  of  righteousness,  to  which 
their  character  and  life  will  be  conformed  by 
the  life-working  power  of  the  gospel. 

The  tliought  of  the  passage,  then,  may  be 
thus  stated :  The  law,  as  allegorically  inter- 
preted by  these  false  teachers,  is  not,  as  they 
afiirm,  a  higher  means  of  moral  perfection  for 
believers  than  the  gospel;  so  far  is  this  from 
being  true,  the  law  was  not  enacted  for  the 
Christian,  the  justified  man,  as  a  means  of 
moral  perfection,  but  for  the  sinner  as  a  means 
of  awakening,  conviction,  and  judgment. 

12-17'.  Thanksgiving  for  His  Call  to 
THE  Ministry,  and  for  the  Mercy  Shown 
IN  His  Conversion. — As  one  intrusted  with 
the  gospel,  the  apostle  renders  thanks  to  Christ 
for  his  calling  to  the  ministry,  especially  in 
view  of  his  unworthiness  as  having  been  be- 
fore a  cruel,  blaspheming  persecutor.  He 
explains  that  in  his  case  rnercy  was  possible, 
because,  in  thus  persecuting,  he  had  not 
sinned  willfully  by  acting  in  conscious,  delib- 
erate opposition  to  his  convictions,  though  he 
is  nevertheless  the  chief  of  sinners;  and  that 
the  design  of  the  mercy  thus  bestowed  was  to 
exhibit  in  him,  as  the  chief  of  sinners,  the 
greatness  of  Christ's  long  suffering,  and  thus 
through  all  the  ages  to  encourage  the  greatest 
of  sinners  to  believe  on  Christ  unto  eternal 
life. 

12.  And  T  thank  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord, 
who  hath  enabled  me.     'Enabled,'  empov)- 


ered  me,  filled  m,e  with  power ;  referring,  not 
to  official   authority,  nor  to  miraculous  gifts, 

but  to   spiritual    power.       (Acis9:22;  Eph.6:10:  Phil. 

4 :  13 ;  2  Tim.  2 : 1 ;  4 :  17.)  "  Endued  with  powcr  from 
on  high,"  he  had  been  filled  with  the  divine 
knowledge,  wisdom,  courage,  patience,  and 
faith,  requisite  for  the  great  trust  committed  to 
him ;  a  power  which  was  promised,  and  has  ever 
been  given,  by  the  ascended  Lord  to  his  chosen 
ministry.  (John  u  :  lE-n,  25;  i6: --15.)  For  that 
{because)  he  counted  me  faithful,  putting 
{as  shovsn  in  that  he  put)  me  into  the  (a) 
ministry.  This  was  the  subject,  or  occasion  of 
his  thanksgiving.  'He  counted  me  faithful' 
may  refer  to  Christ's  designation  of  him  to 
the  apostolic  work  at  the  time  of  his  conver- 
sion (Acts  26;  12-18) ;  if  SO,  he  gives  thanks  for  the 
confidence  thus  expressed  in  his  future  fidelity. 
Or,  as  Paul  did  not  actually  enter  on  his  dis- 
tinctive work  as  an  apostle  till  some  years  after 
his  conversion  (Act*  i:< :  1-4),  when  his  fidelity  had 
already  been  tested,  he  may  refer  to  this  later 
epoch,  when  he  was  publicly  recognized  as  an 
apostle,  as  the  time  when  Christ,  having  thus 
proved  him,  counted  him  faithful,  putting 
him  into  a  ministry — that  of  apostle  to  the 
Gentiles. 

13.  Who  was  before  a  blasphemer,  and 
a  persecutor,  and  injurious — that  is,  not- 
withstanding I  was  before  one  who  blasphemed 
the  name  of  Jesus,  persecuted  his  followers, 
and,  in  word  and  deed,  subjected  them  to 
insult  and  outrage.  The  ajtostle  confessed 
before  Festus  :  "  Many  of  the  saints  did  I  shut 
up  in  prison,  having  received  authority  from 
the  chief  priests  ;  and  when  they  were  put  to 
death,  I  gave  my  voice  against  them.  And  I 
punished  them  oft  in  every  synagogue,  and  com- 
pelled them  to  blaspheme;  and  being  exceed- 
ingly mad  against  tliem,  I  persecuted  them 
even  unto  strange  cities."  (Acts 26: 11, 12.)  Sucli 
had  been  the  greatness  of  his  sin  ;  but,  notwith- 
standing this,  Christ  had  not  onl^'  forgiven 
him,  but  had  also  appointed  him  to  an  exalted 
ministry  in  that  very  church  he  once  thus 
outraged  and  destroyed.  But  I  obtained 
merc'v;  because  I  did  it  ignorantly  in  nn- 


Ch.  I.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


25 


14  And  the  grace  of  our  Lord  was  exceeding  abund- 
ant with  faith  and  love  whicli  is  in  C'hri.-t  Jesus. 

15  Tliis  /»  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  accep- 
tation, that  Christ  Jesus  cauie  into  the  world  to  save 
sinners  ;  of  whom  I  am  chief. 


obtained  mercy,  because  I  did  it  ignorantly  in  unbe- 

14  liel  ;  and  the  grace  of  our  Lord  abounded  exceedingly 

15  with  failh  and  love  which  is  in  Christ,  l-'ailliful  is 
the  saying  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ 
Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  siuiiers  ;  of  whom 


belief.  The  reason  mercy  was  possible  in  his 
case  was  that  he  was  not  self-hardciied  by 
conscious  and  persistent  resistance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  He  had  not  sinned  willfully,  after  re- 
ceiving a  knowledge  of  the  truth  ;  but  rather 
as  blinded  by  ignorance  in  the  darkness  of 
unbelief.  (Act3  3:i7.)  Consequently,  though 
he  was  deeply  guilty  for  that  unbelief,  repetit- 
ance  was  still  possible,  and,  subjectively,  he 
stood  within  the  pale  of  mercy.  There  is 
here  no  thought  of  extenuating  his  guilt,  but 
only  an  explanation  of  the  fact  that,  beitig  so 
great  a  sinner,  he  could  still  find  mercy.  He 
tiad  not  committed  the  sin  against  the  H0I3' 
Ghost,  as  those  who  have  persistently  resisted 
the  clear  convictions  of  their  own  consciences 
and  the  illumination  and  urgencies  of  the 
Spirit  of  God;  and  therefore,  great  as  his 
guilt  was,  his  moral  nature  had  not  reached 
that  point  of  utter  self-hardening,  where  re- 
pentance and  faith  are  forever  impossible,  and 
the  sin  becomes  that  which  "  shall  not  be  for- 
given, neither  in  this  world,  neither  in  the 
world  to  come."     (Matt.  12 :  31, 32.) 

14.  And  the  grace  of  our  Lord  was  ex- 
ceeding abundant  (or,  supernhotinded) — it 
revealed  itself  in  my  case,  not  in  an  ordinary, 
but  in  an  extraordinary  act  of  merc}\  In  its 
fullness,  it  far  surpassed  the  grace  shown  to 
ordinary  sinners.  "  The  metaphor  is  derived 
from  a  stream.  I  by  my  sins  obstructed  the 
course  of  God's  grace,  but  the  stream  of  his 
mercy  brimmed  over  and  overflowed  the 
7iiounds  and  dams  of  my  sinfulness,  by  the 
surpassing  exuberance,  copiousness,  and  power 
of  its  spiritual  inundation."  (Wordsworth.) 
With  faith  and  love — the  subjective  con- 
comitants and  results  of  the  flood  of  grace. 
The  apostle  comprehends  in  faith  and  love  all 
the  aetuiiting  principles  or  motive  forces  in 
Christian  character,  and  here,  as  is  his  wont, 
traces  them  directly  to  their  source,  the  grace 
of  the  Lord.  (1  Cor.  15 :  lo;  Eph.  3:8.)  Which  is 
in  Christ  Jesus — that  is,  the  love  Paul  exer- 
cises toward  others  originated  in,  and  was 
kept  alive  through  his  union  with  Christ  Jesus. 
Love  to  men  has  its  source,  and  finds  its  power 
only  in  a   believing  apprehension  of  Christ's 


love  to  us.  All  genuine  fruitage  in  the  branches 
conies  from  Clirist,  the  vine.     (Joim  15:  i-s.) 

15.  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy 
of  all  acceptation— an  expression  used  to 
give  solemnity  and  einpliasis  to  tlie  following 
statement,  as  worthy  of  the  utmost  attention 
and   confidence.      Paul   uses    it  only   in   the 

Pastoral    Epistles.  (1  Tim.  3:1:  4:9;  2  Tim.2:  ll; 

Titua3:8.)  It  may  be  classed,  therefore,  with  a 
few  other  peculiar  phrases,  among  the  indica- 
tions that  these  epistles  were  written  at  a  later 
period  than  the  others,  and  in  near  connection 
with  each  other.  It  is  an  expression  eminently 
befitting  Paul,  the  aged,  attesting  his  sense, 
from  the  experience  of  advancing  years,  of 
the  certainty  and  worth  of  the  great  facts  of 
the  gospel.  That  Christ  Jesus  came  into 
the  world  to  save  sinners.  This  is  the  word 
which  is  worthy  of  all  acceptation.  The  em- 
phasis is  on  'sinners,'  indicating  this,  as  the 
source  of  his  joy  and  hope,  as  well  as  the  joy 
and  hope  of  all  men,  that  Christ  "came  not 
to  call  the  righteous  but  sinners  to  repent- 
ance," to  seek  and  to  '^'save  thtit  which  was 
lost."  '  Came  into  the  world' :  note  the  allu- 
sion to  Christ's  pre-existence  before  "the 
Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us." 
(John  1 : 1-14.)  Of  Avhoin  I  aui  chief.  This 
was  true  of  Paul.  1.  As  the  testimony  of  his 
own  consciousness.  The  profound  insight 
given  him  into  his  own  heart  must  have  pro- 
duced in  him,  as  such  insight  has  alwaj-s  pro- 
duced in  the  Christian,  the  feeling  tliat  surely 
no  other  could  have  sinned  so  grievously  as 
himself.  The  publican,  when  standing  before 
God,  convicted  of  sin,  cried,  "God  be  merci- 
ful to  me,  the  sinner  !  "  See  Luke  18  :  13,  Re- 
vised Version,  margin.  He  seems  to  have  been 
so  utterly  rbsorbed  in  the  consciousness  of  liis 
own  sin,  that  he  thought  of  himself  as  the 
only  sinner,  his  own  sin  filling  the  whole  hori- 
zon of  his  mind.  In  like  manner  Ptiul,  with 
clear  insight  into  his  own  heart  and  with 
quickened  sense  of  the  holiness  of  God,  truly 
feels  that  he  is  chief  of  sinners,  surptissing  all 
others  in  the  turpitude  and  greatness  of  liis 
guilt.  And '2.  Asa  matter  of  fact,  none  had 
surpiissed,  perliai^s  none  liad  oipniled  him,  in 


26 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  I, 


16  Howbeit  for  this  cause  I  obtained  mercy,  that  in 
me  first  Jesus  Christ  might  shew  forth  all  longsutfering, 
for  a  pattern  to  them  which  should  hereafter  believe  on 
him  to  life  everlasting. 

17  Now  unto  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible, 
the  only  wise  God,  be  honour  and  glory  for  ever  and 
ever.    Amen. 


16  I  am  the  chief:  howbeit  for  this  cause  I  obtained 
mercy,  that  in  me  as  chief  might  Jesus  Christ  show 
forth  all  his  longsutfering,  lor  an  ensample  of  them 
who  should  therealter  believe  on  him  unto  eternal 

17  life.  Now  unto  the  King  i  eternal,  incorruptible,  in- 
visible, the  only  Cod,  be  honour  and  glory,  2 fur  ever 
and  ever.    Amen. 


I  Gi.ofthe  aget 2  6r.  unto  the  ages  of  the  ages. 


the  boldness  and  fury  with  which  he  had  per- 
secuted the  church,  and  defiantly  opposed  the 
Lord  Jesus.  This  last  is  probably  the  promi- 
nent thought  here. 

16.  Howbeit  for  this  cause  I  obtained 
mercy.  He  now  unfolds  the  special  purpose 
of  Christ,  as  it  respects  men,  in  thus  showing 
mercy  to  him,  the  greatest  of  all  sinners;  it 
wa?  to  show,  in  this  case,  to  all  future  ages  the 
boundlessness  of  mercy  in  the  gospel,  and 
thus  encourage  even  the  worst  sinners  to  seek 
it  in  Christ.  That  in  me  first — that  is,  as 
the  first  or  chief  of  sinners,  the  one  who  sur- 
passed all  others  in  sin.  Jesus  Christ  mis;ht 
show  forth  all  longsutfering — the  full, 
boundless  extent  of  it;  that,  in  being  shown 
to  me,  the  chief  sinner,  tlie  long  sufi'ering  of 
Christ  might  find  the  highest  possible  exem- 
plification. For  a  pattern  to  them  which 
should  hereafter  believe  on  him  to  life 
everlasting.  The  purpose  was  to  set  before 
sinners  in  all  after  ages  an  example  of  the 
marvelous  extent  of  Christ's  patience  and 
mercy,  in  the  long  suffering  and  grace  shown 
to  him,  to  the  end  that  even  the  worst  of  sin- 
ners may  be  emboldened  to  believe  in  Christ 
'  to  everlasting  life.'  If  the  Lord  saved  Paul, 
then  no  sinner  need  despair.  "No  man,  with 
Paul's  example  before  him,  can  reasonably 
question  the  love  and  power  of  Christ  to  save 
him,  whatever  his  sins  have  been,  if  be  really 
desire  and  endeavor  to  trust  him  as  the  Incar- 
nate Son  of  God,  who  once  died  on  the  cross 
and  now  reigns  on  the  throne  of  glory,  in 
order  to  save  all  who  come  unto  God  through 
him."  (Scott.)  A  diflferent  view  is  urged  by 
Hofmann,  and  is  perhaps  worthy  of  consider- 
ation. It  is  as  follows:  To  me  first — that  is, 
first,  not  by  eminence,  but  in  time.  Paul 
was  first  in  a  long  line  of  blaspheming,  per- 
secuting sinners,  to  whom  Ciirist  would  show 
his  long  suffering  and  mercy.  Under  the  Old 
Dispensation,  judgment  had  speedily  fallen  on 
opposers,  but  now,  under  Christ,  mercy  would 
wait  and  would  bring  even  the  greatest  sinners 
to  repentance.     Paul  was  thus  a  pattern  or 


ensample,  not  to,  but,  as  the  text  says,  "o/ 
those  who  should  hereafter  believe  on  him." 
Christ's  merc^-  to  him,  therefore,  was  only  the 
beginning  of  a  long  series  of  like  exhibitions 
of  his  mercy. 

17.  Now  unto  the  King  eternal  (or,  of  the 
ages,  Eevised  Version,  margin),  designating 
God  as  the  infinite  Former  and  Controller  of 
the  periods  or  cycles  through  which  the  uni- 
verse has  passed  or  will  hereafter  pass.  It  is 
equivalent,  therefore,  to  King  of  Eternity.  "He 
is  presented  to  our  view  as  supreme  Lord  and 
Director  of  the  successive  cj^cles  or  stages  of 
development  through  which  this  world,  or  the 
creation  at  large,  was  destined  to  pass — the  Sov- 
ereign Epoch-maker,  who  arranges  everj-thing 
pertaining  to  them  beforehand,  according  to 
the  counsel  of  his  own  will,  and  controls  what- 
ever takes  place,  so  as  to  subordinate  it  to  his 
design."  (Fairbairn  onPs.  145  :  13. )  Immor- 
tal [or, incorriiptible) — imperish  able,  un  decay- 
ing, as  6  :  16,  "  who  only  hath  immortality." 
Invisible — "dwelling  in  the  light  which  no 
man  can  approach  unto,  whom  no  inan  hath 
seen  nor  can  see."  (6:i6.)  The  only  wise 
God — the  only  true,  real  God.  (oout. i:.^  ;  isa. 
44:6.)  'Wise'  is  not  in  the  best  manuscripts. 
Be  honour  and  glory  for  ever  and  ever 
(or,  unto  the  ages  of  the  ages).  Amen — that 
is,  unto  eter7iity,  the  infinite  future  being  con- 
sidered as  a  series  of  j^eriods,  or  cycles,  stretch- 
ing endlessly  onward.  This  sublime  dox- 
ology,  which  has  no  exact  parallel  in  Scrip- 
ture, bursts  forth  from  the  grateful,  adoring 
heart  of  the  apostle,  as  he  surveys  the  infinite 
depths  and  fullness  of  God's  merc^',  experi- 
enced by  him  as  the  chief  of  sinners,  and 
promised  in  Jesus  Christ  to  the  guiltiest  and 
vilest  sinners  on  earth.  The  most  glorious 
view  of  God  is  that  gained  by  an  humbled, 
penitent  soul,  looking  up  to  him  as  he  tipjiears 

in  Christ  crucified.       (Rnm.  16:25-27:  lT)m.6:  16.) 

J8-20.  SoLKMN  Charge  to  Fidelity  in 
THK  Ministry  — The  apostle  enjoins  Timothy 
that,  incited  by  the  prophecies  formerly-  ut- 
tered  rcs]iecting   him,  he  should  accomplish 


Ch.  I.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


27 


18  This  charge  I  commit  unto  thee,  son  Timothy, 
according  to  the  prophecies  which  went  helore  ou  thee, 
that  thou  by  tlicm  uiightest  war  a  good  warfare  ; 

19  Holding  faith,  and  a  good  conscience;  which  some 
having  put  away,  concerning  faitli  have  made  shipwreck : 


18  This  charge  I  commit  unto  thee,  my  child  Timo- 
thy, according  to  the  prophecies  which  '  led  the  way 
to   thie,  lh;it   by   tlieni    thou   mayesl  war  the  good 

19  warfare;  lioldiug  faith  and  a  good  conscience  ;  wliich 
some    having    thrust   from   them   made  shipwreck 


1  Ur,  went  before  on  thee. 


the  good  warfare  by  holding  faith  and  a  good 
conscience;  since  some,  having  thrust  away  a 
good  conscience,  had  made  shipwreck  in  re- 
spect of  tlie  faith,  among  vvliom  he  instances 
Hymeneus  and  Alexander,  whom  he  had  de- 
livered to  Satan,  that,  by  their  chastisement, 
they  might  learn  not  to  blaspheme. 

18.  This  cliarge  I  commit  unto  thee, 
son  Timothy.  The  purport  of  the  charge  is 
expressed  in  the  last  clause  of  the  verse,  in 
regard  to  the  good  warfare.  The  form  of  ad- 
dress marks  the  solemnity  and  importance  of 
the  duty  enjoined.  According  to  the  proph- 
ecies wliich  went  before  on  thee — former 
prophecies,  uttered  probably  in  connection 
with  his  ordination,  which  both  indicated  his 
divine  call  as  an  evangelist  and  predicted  his 
future  eminence  in  that  office.  Thus  ch.  4  : 
14:  "  Neglect  not  the  gift  that  is  in  thee,  which 
was  given  tliee  through  prophecy,  with  the 
laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  presbytery''  ; 
also  2  Tim.  1:6:  "Wherefore  I  put  thee  iif 
remembrance,  that  thou  stir  up  the  gift  of  God 
which  is  in  thee  by  the  putting  on  of  my 
hands"  ;  where  it  would  appear  that  Paul,  as 
an  apostle,  had  united  with  the  elders  of  Lys- 
tra  in  the  ordination  of  Timothy  (Actsis:  i-s), 
and  that  by  the  laying  on  of  the  apostle's 
hands  a  certain  spiritual  gift  had  been  super- 
naturally  imparted.  The  prophetic  utterances 
which  preceded  this  may  have  been  made 
either  tlirough  Paul  himself  or  through  Silas, 
who  was  a  prophet  (Acts  is  :  32),  or  through 
prophets  in  that  church ;  and  as  they  were  dis- 
tinct divine  assurances  of  his  heavenly  call, 
and  of  his  success  in  the  work  assigned  hiin, 
it  was  fitting  that  he  should  remember  these 
divine  predictions,  and  find  in  them  strength 
to  endure  hardness  in  it.  The  true  minister, 
in  the  midst  of  discouragements,  afllictions, 
and  persecutions,  finds  nothing  more  inspiring 
than  a  vivid  remembrance  of  his  divine  call 
to  the  position  and  the  work  in  which  he  is 
engaged.  It  gives  faith,  patience,  persever- 
ance, assurance — the  qualities  by  which  he  ! 
triumphs  over  adversity,  and  often  snatches 
victory  from  seeming  defeat.  Such  a  pro- 
phetic utterance  conveyed  the  divine  call  to  ' 


Barnabas  and  Saul;  "The  Holy  Ghost  said, 
Sepjirate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work 
whereunto  I  have  called  them."  (aoui»:2.) 
Thiit  thou  by  (or,  in)  them  niightest  war 
a  {the)  good  warfare.  This  is  the  purport 
of  the  charge  that,  incited  by,  clad  in  the 
armor  of,  these  prophecies,  he  should  war  the 
good  warfare.  Encouraged  by  the  memory  of 
these  divine,  prophetic  words,  he  should  per- 
severe, amid  all  obstacles  and  sufl'erings,  ia 
the  great  work  of  the  ministry,  which  had 
thus  been  distinctly  given  him  by  God.  'Tiie 
good  warfare'  denotes  not  a  single  battle,  but 
the  well-known,  perpetual  conflict,  appointed 
for  the  Christian  and  especially  for  the  Chris- 
tian minister,  the  whole  war,  extending  to  its 
final  issue  in  complete  victory.     (2Tim. i.-t.) 

19.  Holding  faith  and  a  good  con- 
science— that  is,  by  holding  faith  and  a  good 
conscience;  indicating  the  means  by  which 
'the  good  warfare'  is  to  be  accomplished.  A 
pure  faith  and  a  clear  conscience  are  essential 
to  the  maintenance  of  fidelity  in  the  Christian 
and  ministerial  life.  Which  (good  con- 
science) some  having  put  away  (or,  thrunt 
from  them).  There  is  something  in  the  word 
implying  the  violence  of  the  act  required, 
and  the  importunity  of  conscience,  reluctant 
to  be  so  extruded.  (Alford.)  Concerning 
faith  have  made  shipwreck.  The  refusal 
to  maintain  a  good  conscience  resulted  in  the 
loss  of  the  faith,  or  the  true  doctrine  of  the 
gospel.  The  yielding  to  sin  dulled  the  percep- 
tion of  truth,  and  opened  the  wAy  for  the 
influx  of  error.  The  wreck  of  faith  in  the 
soul  is  thus  directly  traced  to  sin  in  the  life, 
by  which  the  spiritual  perceptions  are  first 
made  obttise,  and  then  perverted.  The  recip- 
rocal relati'^n  of  conscience  and  faith  is  such 
that  the  perversion  of  the  one  leads,  by  a 
natural  law,  to  the  perversion  of  the  other. 
A  clear  conscience  is  essential  to  a  pure  faith  ; 
hence,  Christ  said  :  "  If  any  man  will  do  his 
will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether 
it  be  of  God."  (J"hn7:i7.)  Heresy  has  its 
source,  ordinarily,  not  in  the  he:id,  but  in  the 
heart;  an  evil  conscience,  wliich  resists,  rather 
than  obeys,  the  will  and  word  of  God. 


28 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  I. 


20  Of  whom  is  Hyrueneus  and  Alexander;  whom  I  1  20  concerning  the  faith:  of  whom  is  HymenBeus  and 
have  delivered  unto  Satan,  that  they  may  learn  not  to  Alexander;  whom  I  delivered  unt,  Saian,  that  they 

blaspheme.  I        might  be  taught  not  to  blaspheme. 


20.  Of  whom  is  HymeneiiSs  and  Alex- 
ander. Of  the.se  nsiiiies,  the  former  appears 
ill  2  Tim.  2  :  17,  where  it  probably  indicates 
the  person  here  referred  to;  the  latter  is  found 
in  2  Tim.  4:14,  with  a  descriptive  addition, 
"the  coppersmith,"  and  also  in  Acts  19:33, 
as  the  name  of  a  prominent  Jew  at  Ephesiis. 
We  have  no  means  of  knowing  which,  if 
either,  of  these  is  here  designated,  for  Alex- 
ander was  a  name  so  common  that  quite  pos- 
sibly it  might  designate  three  different  persons 
among  the  Christians  at  Ephesus.  Whom  I 
have  delivered  unto  Satan — probably,  by 
an  act  of  e.xcommunication,  by  which  they 
were  placed  outside  of  the  visible  kingdom  of 
God  and,  so  to  speak,  replaced  within  the 
realm  of  Satan.  In  the  language  of  Scrip- 
ture, the  devil  is  called  "the  god  of  this 
world,"  "the  spirit  that  now  worketh  in  the 
children  of  disobedience,"  and  the  powers  of 
evil  are  described  as  "the  rulers  of  the  dark- 
ness of  this  world"  ;  and  the  soul  at  conver- 
sion is  said  to  be  "delivered  from  the  power 
of  darkness  and  translated  into  the  kingdom 

of  his  (God's)  dear  Son."    (Epli.2:2;  6:  12;  Col.  1:13.) 

This  general  representation  of  Scripture,  that 
outside  of  the  visible  kingdom  of  God  on 
earth  is  the  kingdom  of  Satan,  is  here  proba- 
bly the  underlying  cnncc)ition.  That  they 
may  learn  (Revised  Version,  might  be 
tdtifiht)  not  to  blaspheme.  The  word  here 
rendered  'learn,'  'taught,'  signifies  commonly 
to  be  instructed  by  discipline  or  chastisement. 

(Luke  23:  IB;  1  Cor.  11  :  32;  2  Cor.  6:9.)       Discipline,    aS 

inflicted  in  the  apostolic  churches,  was  some- 
times accompanied  hy  bodily  evils  and  suffer- 
ings, at  least  when  administered  by  apostles; 
and  the  act  of  the  church  in  administering  it 
was  thus,  by  miraculous  intervention,  attested 
as  having  the  sanction  of  God.  That  such 
discipline  is  referred  to  here  may  be  inferred 
from  the  following  considerations:  1.  Sntan  is 
represented  as  the  medium  of  physical  evils 
Thus  the  calamity  and  bodily  sufferings  of 
Job,  the  "spirit  of  infirmity"  of  the  woman 
in  the  gospel,  and  the  mental  and  bodily  evils 
of  demoniacal  possession,  are  all  directly  at- 
tributed to  Satan  as  the  medium  ;  and  Paul 
calls  "the  thorn  in  the  fle«h  "  "a  messenger 

of  Satan."       (Job  ^  :  6;    Luke  13  :  16;    2  Cor.  12  :  7.)      2. 


Paul,  in  the  case  of  the  incestuous  man,  di- 
rected the  Corinthian  Church  :  "In  the  name 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  when  ye  are  gath- 
ered together,  and  1113^  spirit,  with  the  power 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  deliver  such  an 
one  unto  Satan  for  the  destruction  of  the  flesh, 
that  the  spirit  may  be  saved  in  the  day  of  the 
Lord  Jesus."  (1  cor.  5  ;  4, 5.)  Intimations  of 
such  bodily  chastisments  for  sin  are  found  in 
1  Cor.  11  :  30-32,  where,  in  speaking  of  their 
misconduct  at  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  apostle 
says  to  the  Corinthians:  "For  this  cause 
many  are  weak  and  sickly  among  you,  and 
many  sleep."  It  seems  probable,  therefore, 
that,  accompanying  this  act  of  excommunica- 
tion, there  was  som-e  form  of  bodily  suffering 
which  was  intended  to  awaken  and  reclaim 
the  offender.  Thus  inost  expositors.  Ellicott 
says:  "We  conclude  then,  with  AVaterland, 
that  delivery  over  to  Satan  was  a  form  of 
Christian  excommunication,  declaring  the 
person  reduced  to  the  state  of  a  heathen,  ac- 
companied with  the  authoritative  infliction  of 
bodily  disease  or  death."  Alford:  "The  de- 
livering to  Satan,  as  in  1  Cor.  5  :  5,  seems  to 
have  been  an  apostolic  act,  for  the  purpose  of 
active  punishment,  in  order  to  cori-ection." 
See  also  Wordsworth  on  1  Cor.  5  :  5.  Barnes : 
"This  was  an  extraordinary  and  miraculous 
power.  It  was  designed  for  the  government 
of  the  church  in  its  infancy',  when  everj-- 
thing  was  fitted  to  show  the  direct  agenc3-  of 
God;  and  it  ceased,  doubtless,  with  the  apos- 
tles.    The  church  now  has  no  such  power." 


Ch.  2  :  In  unfolding  the  charge  committed 
to  Timothy,  the  apostle  gives  in  this  chapter 
special  directions  in  regard  to  worship  in  the 
public  assembly. 

1-7.  The  Duty  of  Public  Pr.wer  for 
ALL  Men,  E.specially  for  Rulers. — As 
reasons  for  this  duty  he  states:  1.  The  neces- 
sity' of  good  government,  in  order  to  a  quiet 
and  peaceful  life;  and  2.  The  excellence  nnd 
acceptableness  of  such  prayer  in  the  sight  of 
God,  inasmuch  as  he  wills  the  salvation  of  all 
men.  In  proof  that  (Jod  has  such  good-will 
toward  all,  and  that  public  prayer,  therefore, 
should  be   offered   for  all,  he  shows  (a)  that 


Ch.  II.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


29 


CHAPTEK  II. 


I  EXHORT  therefore,  that,  first  of  all,  supplications, 
prayers,   itilercessions,  and    giving  of   ihauks,   be 
made  for  all  men  ; 

2  For  kings,  and /ye  all  that  are  in  authority :  that 
we  may  lead  a  quiet  and  peaceable  lite  in  all  godliues.> 
and  honesty. 


1  I  exhort  therefore,  first  of  all, '  that  supplications, 
prayers,  intercessions,  tluink.sjjivings,  be  made  lor 

2  all  men;  for  kings  and  all  that  are  in  high  place: 
that  we  may  lead  a  tranquil  and  quiet  life  in  all 


1  Gr.  to  make  aupplicationa,  etc. 


there  is  one  God  for  all  men  ;  (6)  that  there  is 
one  Mediiitor  between  God  and  all  men;  (c) 
that  the  Mediator  gave  himself  a  ransom  for 
all;  and  {d)  that  the  testimony  to  this  univer- 
sal provision  and  offer  of  salvatioa  in  the 
gospel  is  the  divine  message  appointed  for  the 
Cliristian  ages,  for  which  testimony  Paul  had 
been  specially  appointed  an  apostle  and  teacher 
of  the  Gentiles. 

1.  I  exhort,  therefore,  first  of  all.    He 
had  charged  Timothy  (i:'8)  to  war  the  good 
warfare  in  tlie  Chri.stian  ministry  ;  and  now, 
passing   from  that  general  charge,    he   gives 
this  specific  one  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of 
worship  in  the  Cliristian  assembly.     '  First  of 
all,'  therefore,  does  not  mean  first  in  import- 
ance, nor  first  in  the  order  of  public  worship, 
but  first  in  the  series  of  directions  he  is  about 
to  give  Timothy.  That  supplications,  pray- 
ers, intercessions,  and  giving  of  thanks. 
The  four  terms  here  used,  while  doubtless  cu- 
muliitive,  serving  to  emphasize  the  duty  en- 
joined, also  express  distinct  phases  of  prayer, 
and  are  in  some  respects  distinct  in  their  use. 
Though  each  is  sometimes  used  as  a  general 
term  {or  prayer,  they  seem  here  to  describe 
the  several  divisions  into  which  public  prayer 
naturally  falls.    'Supplications,'  derived  from 
a   word   signifying  need,    denotes  prayer    as 
arising  from  the  feeling  of  need,  and  thus  em- 
braces all  petitions  relating  to  the  wants  of  the 
suppliants.     'Prayers,'    where  the  act  is  not 
petition,  but  worship,  the  prompting  thought 
being,  not  the  needs  of  the  suppliant,  but  the 
oeing,  attributes,  and  acts  of  God,  the  object 
of    worship;    and  hence,    the   word   includes 
adoration,  praise,  and  worship,  as  inspired  by 
the   character  and   acts   of   God.     'Interces- 
sions,' prayers  offered,  not  for  ourselves,  but 
for  others,   in  which  the   suppliants,   looking 
out   from   themselves   upon   the   needs  of  all 
classes  and  conditions  of  men,  make  petitions 
for  others  in  special  need,  or  for  the  commu- 
nity, the  nation  and  the  world.    (Kom.  8:34;  ii:2; 
Heb.7:25.)     'Giving  of    thanks,'    wherein    the 


worshipers,  devoutly  recognizing  the  mercies, 
temporal  and  spiritual,  received  from  God  by 
themselves  and  by  all  men,  offer  thanksgiving 
for  the  same  in  the  Christian  assembly,  thus 
acknowledging  and  adoring  God  as,  through 
Christ,  the  Author  and  Dispenser  of  all  good. 
These  several  sides  of  public  devotion,  peti- 
tion, adoration,  intercession,  thanksgiving,  are 
here  mentioned,  not  as  directing  the  order  in 
which  they  should  be  presented  (tliis,  doubt- 
less, should  be  varied),  but  as  exhibiting  the 
comprehensiveness  and  the  outreach ing,  uni- 
versal spiritual  sympatliy  required  in  public 
worship.  (Epb.  6:  8;  Phil.  4 :6.)  "  Christians,"  as 
a  priestly  race,  in  behalf,  and  for  the  welfare, 
of  all  men,  shall  offer  supplication  for  tlie 
common  need  (Serja-eis),  shall  adore  and  invoke 
God  as  the  common  Father  of  all  (wpoo-euxos), 
shall  intercede  and  give  thanks  (ci-Ttt'feis  and 
evxapi<TTia<;)  forspecial  needsand  blessings  as  they 
appear  among  the  different  classes  and  circum- 
stances of  men,  in  adversity  and  prosperity." 
(Beck.)  Be  made  for  all  men — all  men 
without  exception,  but  here  contemplated  as 
existing  in  different  classes  and  conditions. 

2.  For  kings  and  for  all  that  arc  in 
authority — as  a  distinct  and  conspicuous 
class,  selected  for  special  emphasis  in  public 
prayer.  The  end  or  purpose,  as  also  the  im- 
portance, of  prayer  for  rulers  is  now  indicated. 
That  we  may  lead  a  quiet  and  peace- 
able life  in  all  godliness  and  honesty  (or, 
gravity).  That  is,  that  God  may  so  influence 
the  minds  of  those  in  authority  as  to  lead  to  a 
wise  and  just  government,  thus  enabling  Chris- 
tians to  liv3  in  peace,  free  from  turmoil  and 
oppression,  and  to  pursue  a  life  right  in  the 
sight  of  God  and  honorable  in  the  sight  of 
men.  'Quiet  and  peaceable' — words  essentially 
synonymous  used  to  emphasize  tlie  tliought. 
Hone.st3',  or,  gravity/;  the  word,  though  impl^'- 
ing  honesty,  integrity,  specially  designated 
that  which  is  decorous,  becoming;  a  conduct 
which  is  honorable,  respected,  and  which  be- 
fore men  befits  the  Christian  profession.   God- 


30 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  IL 


3  For  this  is  good  and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God 
our  Saviour; 

4  Who  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to  come 
unto  the  knowledge  of  the  truth. 


3  godliness  and  gravity.     This  is  good  and  acceptable 

4  in  the  sight  of  (aod  our  Saviour ;  who  would  have  ail 
men  to  be  saved,  and  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 


liness  and  gravity  thus  present  the  two  sides 
of  life,  the  former  the  life  toward  God,  the 
latter  the  life  toward  men.  Such  prayer  re- 
cognizes the  fact  that  the  hearts  of  rulers  are 
in  the  hands  of  God,  to  guide,  influence,  and 
overrule  for  the  best  good  of  his  people;  and 
the  offering  of  it  in  public  worship  is  here 
strictly  enjoined.  It  is  evident,  if  prayer  for 
rulers  was  obligatory  under  the  cruel  reign  of 
a  Nero,  tiie  obligation  to  it  must  remain  to  all 
ages,  wholly  irrespective  of  the  form  of  the 
government  and  of  the  ciiaracter  of  those  in 
authority;  and  doubtless,  prayer  for  the  gov- 
ernment, rather  than  denunciation  of  it,  is  the 
more  effective,  as  well  as  tlie  more  befitting, 
service  in  the  Cliristian  assembly.  Accord- 
ing to  Josephus,  it  was  the  refusal  of  the  Jews 
to  offer  sacrifice  in  the  temple  for  their  heathen 
rulers,  which  proved  the  immediate  occasion 
of  the  terrific  conflict  tliat  resulted  under  Titus 
in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  of  the  Jew- 
ish state.  ("Bell.  Jud."  II.  17,  2.)  The  apos- 
tolic churches,  on  the  other  hand,  always  made 
prayer  for  rulers  prominent  in  the  worship  of 
the  Christian  assembly ;  and  Justin  Martyr, 
in  his  "Apology,"  when  vindicating  Chris- 
tians from  the  charge  of  fomenting  sedition, 
appeals  to  this  fact  and  cites  this  passage  in 
the  writings  of  Paul.     ("Apol."  31.) 

3, 4.  The  apostle  now  suggests  motives  which 
should  lead  to  prayer  for  all  men,  as  enjoined, 
ver.  1.  For  this  is  good  and  acceptable  in 
the  sight  of  God  our  Saviour.  Such  prayer  is 
in  God's  sight  both  morally  excellent  and  well 
pleasing.  God  is  here  called  "our  Saviour" 
to  intimate  at  once  the  claim  he  has  on  our  re- 
gard for  what  is  acceptable  to  him,  and  the 
motive  we  have  to  pray  for  the  salvation  of 
others  in  the  fact  that  he  saved  us.  Who 
will  have  all  men  to  be  saved — or,  since 
he  iviils  that  all  men  should  he  saved.  Here 
(1)  is  the  proof  that  prayer  for  all  is  accept- 
able with  God;  it  is  in  harmony  with  his  own 
benevolent  will.  His  infinite  benevolence 
embraces  all  men,  and  would  find  satisfaction 
in  their  salvation,  Here  also  ("2)  is  a  motive 
to  prayer  for  all  men.  If  God  benevolently 
wills  that  all  men  should  be  saved,  we  ought 
to  be  in  sympathy  with  him,  and  pray  for  all. 


"Imitate  God;  if  he  wills  that  all  men  should 
be  saved,  do  thou  also  will  it;  but  if  thou 
wiliest  it,  pray  for  it."  (Chrysostom.)  Note  : 
It  is  not  said  that  God  has  decreed  to  save  all 
men  ;  this  would  contradict  other  Scriptures, 
and  would  be  contrary  to  fact,  since  some  are 

plainly  not  saved.    (Matt  2o:4:-46;  Joh'3  5:28,  29;21hess. 

1:6-9.)  But  he  wills  that  all  men  should  be 
saved.  It  is  his  will  of  benevolence;  that  will, 
or  disposition  of  his  infinite  heart  of  s^mipathy, 
which  finds  perpetual  expression,  when  he 
"maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on 
the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and 
on  the  unjust";  and  which  found  its  no- 
blest expression,  when  he  made  his  Son 
"the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  not  for 
ours    only,    but   for  the    sins    of   the    whole 

world"      (Matt.  5:45;    1  John    .•:2),      and     thuS     by 

an  infinite  sacrifice  provided  a  salvation  ade- 
quate for,  and  freely  offered  to,  all  men.  This 
benevolent  desire  of  God  for  the  salvation  of 
all  men  is  often  seen  in  Scripture.  "As  I  live, 
saith  the  Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  the  wicked,  but  that  the  wicked  turn 
from  his  way  and  live."  (Ezek.ss:  n.)  "The 
Lord  is  long-suffering  to  usward,  not  willing 
that  any  should  perish,  but  that  all  should 
come  to  repentance."  See  2  Peter  3  :  9;  com- 
pare Hosea  11:8;  Matt.  23 :  37.  He  desires 
their  salvation,  however,  onl^-  in  accordance 
with  the  principles  of  his  righteous  govern- 
ment, and  therefore  through  faith  in  the  re- 
demption he  has  provided  in  Christ.  "Paul 
teaches  not  only  here,  but  in  other  places 
(compare  Kom.  8:32;  11:32;  Titus 2: 11),  that 
the  desire  of  God  to  bless  all  sinners  is  un- 
limited, but  it  can  only  be  in  the  ordained  way 
of  faith."  (Van  Oosterzee. )  And  to  come 
unto  the  knoAvledge  of  the  truth.  The 
means  by  which  salvation  must  be  appro- 
priated is  by  coming  to  the  knowledge  (eiri- 
yi'wjrts,  full  apprehension,  realization,  convic- 
tion) of  the  truth;  not  all  truth,  but  the 
truth,  "the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus."  God  wills, 
therefore,  that  men  be  saved  bj'  coming  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  "  For  God  so  loved 
the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son, 
that  ivhosocver  helirveth  in  him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."     (John3:i6.) 


Ch.  II.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


81 


5  For  there  is  one  liod,  and  one  mediator  between 
God  and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus; 

6  Who  gave  bimsell'  a  ransom  for  all,  to  be  testified 
in  due  time. 


5  truth.     For  tliere   is  one   God,  one   mediator  also 
between   God  and  men,  hbiudj'  man,  t'lirist  Jesus, 

6  who  gave  himself  a  ransom  lor  all;  the  ti»limony 


5.  For — the  ground  of  God's  benevolent 
will  for  the  salvation  of  all  men,  and  of  the 
consequent  duty  of  public  prayer  for  all. 
There  is  one  God^ — as  there  is  but  one  God, 
the  Creator,  Preserver,  and  Benefactor  of  ail 
inen,  it  is  evident  that  he  is  God,  not  of  a  part 
of  men  only,  but  of  all  men,  and  in  his  benev- 
olent will  he  must  desire  the  salvation  of  all 
men.  The  same  argument  is  used  in  regard 
to  the  universal  offer  of  salvation.  See  Rom. 
3  :  29,  30;  compare  1  Cor.  8:4-6;  Eph.  4  :  6. 
And  one  mediator  between  God  and 
men — the  fact  that  one  Mediator  stands  be- 
tween God  and  all  mankind  also  shows  the 
impartial  regard  of  God  for  all  men,  and  the 
consequent  duty  of  prayer  for  all.  A  media- 
tor (/ncaiTrjs)  is  one  who  stands  between  parties 
who  are  at  variance,  in  order  to  reconcile 
them,  or  who  are  in  nature  and  dignity  so 
widely  separated  that  they  can  communicate 
only  through  an  intermediate  person.  The 
word  is  used  of  Moses,  because  he  stood  be- 
tween God  and  Israel,  communicating  God's 
will  to  them,  and  interceding  with  God  for 

them.      (Exod.  20  :  19-22  ;  Deut.  o  :  22-31  ;  Gal.  3  :  19,  20.)       It 

is  elsewhere  used  of  Christ.  (Heb.  8:6;  9:i5; 
12:24.)  The  idea  of  mediation,  which  was  cen- 
tral in  the  Old  Testament,  pervades  the  New. 
"No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time;  the 
only-begotten  Son,  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father,  he  hath  declared  him."  "No  man 
cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me."  (John  i : 
18;  u:6.)  Thc  man  Christ  Jesus.  The  arti- 
cle is  not  in  the  original.  It  is  not  the  man, 
nor  a  man,  but  man,  humanity  exalted  to 
true  manhood  by  its  union  witii  God  in  the 
person  of  Christ  Jesus.  The  expression  em- 
phasizes the  nature  in  which  Christ  acts  as 
Mediator :  it  is  in  Humanity,  the  nature  com- 
mon to  all  men,  and  therefore  all  who  bear 
that  nature  have  a  part  in  his  mediation,  (net. 
2 :  6-18.)  For  as  the  Son  of  God  took  on  him  the 
nature  of  man,  in  order  therein  to  act  as 
Mediator,  it  follows  that  he  is  the  Mediator 
for  all  who  bear  that  nature.  No  son  of  man, 
however  lost  and  degraded,  falls  without  the 
scope  of  Christ's  mediation,  but  has  through 
it  the  possibility  of  salvation  in  the  Son  of 
MAN,   the  one   Mediator    between   God  and 


Humanity.  Herein  we  see  the  worth  and 
dignity  of  man,  since  it  is  in  Humanity  Clirist 
is  performing  his  mediatorial  work,  and,  by 
thus  exalting  our  nature,  has  set  before  every 
human  being  tlie  glorious  possibilities  of  sal- 
vation and  eternal  life. 

6.  Who  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  all. 
The  ransom  he  paid  was  paid  for  all,  and  if 
he  died  for  all,  his  church  ought  to  pray  for 
all.  'Gave  himself  points  out,  not  only  the 
voluntariness  of  his  offering,  as  Jolin  10:  17, 
18,  but  also  the  completeness  of  it.  He  gave, 
not  his  life  only,  but  himself,  in  his  whole 
personality  and  work,  including  his  humilia- 
tion, suffering,  and  death,  as  described  in  Phil. 
2  :  5-8.  "  That  the  main  fact  alluded  to  here 
is  the  death  of  Christ,  we  know  ;  but  it  is  not 
brought  into  prominence,  being  included  in 
and  superseded  by  the  far  greater  and  more 
comprehensive  fact,  that  he  gave  himself,  in 
all  that  he  undertook  for  our  redemption." 
(Alford.)  '  A  ransom  (ivTiKvrpov)  for  all.'  The 
simple  form  (\vTpov)  denotes,  according  to 
Cremer:  1.  "The  price  paid  for  the  liberation 
of  those  in  bondage."  2.  "The  means  of 
expiation  with  reference  to  this  result."  The 
compound  word,  used  only  here  in  the  New 
Testament,  brings  forward  more  distinctly 
the  idea  of  substitution.  Tlius  Wordsworth  : 
"  What  does  he  mean  by  ransom  ?  Mankind 
was  guilty,  and  liable  to  the  punishment  of 
death,  and  he  gave  himself  in  their  stead 
(icTi)."  EUicott:  "In  this  important  word 
the  idea  of  a  substitution  of  Christ  in  our 
stead  cannot  be  ignored."  Fausset :  "Not 
merely'  ransom,  but  a  snhstitnted  or  equivalent 
ransom,  the  Greek  preposition  {avri)  implying 
reciprocity  and  vicarious  substitution."  Thus 
most  interpreters.  Compare  Matt.  20:28; 
Acts  20  :  28 ;  1  Cor.  6  :  20 ;  1  Peter  1  :  18,  19. 
Beck  well  coucludes:  "So  far,  therefore,  as 
Christ's  work  was  accomplished  in  his  self- 
offering,  as  the  holy  and  righteous  one,  he  was 
himself  the  price  paid,  the  Xvrpov,  and  so  far 
as  he  by  that  self-offering  entered  trulj'  into 
the  place  of  all  men,  even  into  the  death  pen- 
alty attaching  to  human  sin.  in  order  to  bring 
men  exactly  and  truly  into  his  own  place  in 
relation  to  God — thereby  is  he  ifTiAvrpoi'. "    To 


82 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Cii.  n. 


7  Whereunto  I  am  ordained  a  preacher,  and  an 
apostle,  (I  speak  the  truth  in  Christ,  k/k^  lie  not,)  a 
teacher  of  the  Gentiles  in  faith  and  verity. 

8  I  will  tlierelbre  that  men  pray  every  where,  lifting 
up  holy  hands,  without  wrath  and  doubling. 


7  lo  be  borne  in  its  own  times;  whereunto  I  was  ap- 
pointed a  1  preacher  and  an  apostle  (I  speak  the 
truili,  I  lie  not),  a  teacher  of  the  Gentiles  in  faith 
and  truth. 

8  1  desire  therefore  that  the  men  pray  in  every 
place,  lilting  up  holy  hands,  without  wrath  and 


1  Gr.  herald. 


be  testified  in  due  time,  or,  the  testimony 
(appointed) /or  its  ouui  times.  Tins  is  in  appo- 
sition to  the  wliole  preceding  statement  in  the 
verse.  That  God  is  the  God  of  all  men,  Gen- 
tiles as  well  as  Jews,  and  that  Christ  is  the  one 
Mediator  between  God  and  all  mankind,  hav- 
ing offered  himself  a  ransom  fur  all — is  the 
testimony  to  be  borne  in  the  Christian  ages. 
This  forms  the  grand  message  of  the  Christian 
ministry ;  they  are  to  proclaim  the  fullness 
and  freeness  of  salvation  in  the  gospel,  as 
sulScient  for,  and  offered  to,  all  men,  of  every 
race  and  clime  and  tongue  under  heaven. 
This  universality,  alike  in  the  provision  and 
in  the  offer  of  salvation  in  Christ,  is  "the 
mystery  which  in  other  ages  was  not  made 
known  unto  the  sons  of  men,  as  it  is  now  re- 
vealed unto  the  holy-  apostles  and  prophets  by 
the  Spirit,  that  the  Gentiles  should  be  fellow- 
heirs,  and  of  the  same  body,  and  partakers 
of   his    promise    in    Christ    by    the    gospel." 

(Eph.  3:3-9.) 

7.  Whereunto  I  am  ordained,  e^c.  Unto 
which  (testimony)  /  was  appointed  a  herald 
and  an  apostle.  For  the  proclamation  and 
establishment  of  this  great  truth— the  gospel 
FOR  ALL  MEN— Paul  was  Specially  called  and 
sent  forth  ;  and  in  testifying  to  that  moment- 
ous fact,  he  is  first  a  herald,  or  proclaimer, 
and  secondly,  an  apostle,  one  personally  se- 
lected by  Christ  as  an  authorized  representa- 
tive of  him  and  an  inspired  expounder  of  his 
gospel.  I  speak  the  truth  in  Christ,  and 
lie  not.  The  best  manuscripts,  except  the 
Sinaitic,  omit  "in  Christ"  hero.  This  pro- 
testation of  truthfulness  was  not  needed  to 
assure  Timothy,  but  was  important  in  accred- 
iting him  to  others  as  an  assistant  of  a  genuine 
apostle,  especially  in  view  of  the  opposition 
to  Paul's  apostolic  character  and  authority, 
often  evoked  by  his  assertion  of  the  univer- 
sality of  the  offer  of  salvation.  Compare 
Kom.  9  :  1 ;  2  Cor.  11  :  31.  A  teacher  of  the 
Gentiles — a  further  emphasis  of  the  distinc- 
tive position  God  had  given  him  as  the  apostle 
,to  the  Gentiles  and  of  the  consequent  univer- 


sality of  the  gospel ;  from  which  necessarily 
follows  the  duty  of  prayer  for  all  men,  the 
main  subject  of  the  passage.  In  faith  and 
verity — showing  the  sphere  or  element  in 
which  he  exercised  the  oflSce  of  teacher  of  the 
Gentiles;  it  was  in  the  faith  on  Christ  and  in 
the  truth  of  the  gospel.  This  was  the  sub- 
stance, as  well  as  the  subject,  of  his  teaching. 
8-15.  Position  and  Duties  of  the  Sexes 
IN  the  Worship  of  the  Public  Assembly. 
— 1.  Of  the  men.  On  them  is  devolved  the 
service  of  yjrayer,  respecting  which  it  is  re- 
quired thiit  it  be  performed  (1)  only  by  men 
of  blameless  lives  and  (2)  without  anger  and 
disputation.  (8.)  2.  Of  the  women.  (1)  They 
are  to  observe  mt)desty  in  apparel  and  pro- 
priety in  deportment,  being  distinguished  for 
good  works  rather  than  for  costly  arraj'.  (2) 
They  are  to  keep  silence,  inasmuch  as  the 
office  of  teaching  in  the  public  assembly  of 
the  church  is  not  permitted  tliem.  (9-15.)  This 
restriction  of  the  ministerial  office  to  men  is 
explained  :  such  a  function  would  be  inconsist- 
ent with  that  subordination  of  the  woman  to 
the  man  which  is  involved  (rt)  in  the  creation  of 
the  woman  subsequent  to,  and  as  a  helpmeet 
for,  the  man,  and  (6)  in  the  precedence  of  the 
woman  in  the  fall,  and  the  greater  relative 
weakness  of  nature  therein  shown.  But 
woman,  though  thus  denied  a  public,  official, 
position  as  teacher  of  the  church,  is  not  denied 
salvation,  but  shall  attain  it,  not  in  the  exer- 
cise of  public  functions,  but  while  filling  her 
normal  position  in  the  family  and  home  life. 

8.  I  will  therefore — the  language  of 
authority,  not  merely  of  wish  ;  it  was  his  will 
as  an  apostle.  As  he  resumes  here  the  subject 
introduced  (ver. i-3),  but  interrupted  by  a  di- 
gression (vcr.  4-7),  the  word  therefore  is  added 
to  mark  the  resumption.  That  (the)  men 
pray  every  where.  'Men'  in  the  Greek 
has  the  article,  the  men  to  emphasize  the 
restriction  of  prayer  in  the  public  assembly  to 
men.  Probably  at  Ephesus,  as  elsewhere,  in 
the  absence  of  church  edifices,  the  church  had 
different  places  of  meeting;  but  'every  where,' 


Ch.  II.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


9  In  like  manner  also,  that  women  adorn  themselves 
in  modest  apparel,  with  shamefaceduess  and  sobriety ; 
not  with  braided  hair,  or  gold,  or  pearls,  or  costly 
array  ; 

10  But  fwhich  becometh  women  professing  godliness) 
with  good  works. 


33 


9  >  disputing,     nlike  manner  that  women  adorn  them- 
selves in  modest  apparel,  wiih  shametaslness  and  so 
briety;  not  with  braided  hair,  and  pjld  or  pearls 
10  or  costly  raiment;  but  (which  becomelh  wome'i  pro- 


1  Or,  doubting. 


or,  in  every  place  in  which  it  assembled  for 
worship,  prayer  was  to  form  a  part  of  the  ser- 
vice, and  the  offering  of  it  was  a  function 
devolved  on  themen.  Lifting  up  holy  hands 
—at  once  intimating  a  common  bodily  attitude 
in  prayer,  uplifted  hands,  and  defining  the 
character   required   in    those    who   officiated 

in     it.         (a  Chron.  6:  12;    Ps.  28  :  2 ;    63:5;    134:2;    141:2.) 

They  must  be  men  whose  hands  ar^  unstained 
with    wrong.     This  is  a  frequent   figure   for 
uprightness,  purity  of  life.      (Job  17 : 9;  Ps.  24:4; 
Jan.e34:8.)     The  Hebrcws  washed  their  hands 
before  offering  worship.   (ps.26:6.)  The  church 
is  "a  holy  priesthood  to  offer  up  spiritual  sac- 
rifice  acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus   Christ"; 
and  no    man   may  venture  to  exercise  this 
priestly  function,  in  offering  before  God  the 
worship  of  the  Christian  assembly,  unless  his 
character  and  life  befit  the  profession  of  godli- 
ness.    Clemens  Romanus,   the  contemporary 
of   Paul,    wrote   to   the   Corinthian    Church: 
"  Let  us  come  to  him  in  holiness  of  soul,  lift- 
ing up   to  him    pure   and   undefiled    hands.'' 
(Epistle  1  :  29.)  Without  wrath  and  doubt- 
ing (or,  disputation).     '  Wrath  '  expresses  the 
inward    passion,    'disputation'    the    outward 
manifestation  of  it  in  angry  discussion.     The 
worship  of   the   church   is   not  to   be  offered 
amidst  angry  wranglings,  which  presuppose  a 
state  of  mind  unfitted  to  such  a  service,  and 
can  only  bring  discredit  on  it.      (Matt.  5 :  21-24; 
6:14,15;  I  Peter 3: 7.)     Thus  Substantially  Bloom- 
field,  Huther,  Van  Oosterzee,  Wiesinger,  and 
Wordsworth.     Ellicott,  however,  prefers  the 
rendering  of  our  version,  "doubting"  to  "dis- 
putation," with  whom  Alford,  Fairbairn,  and 
Bock  concur.     Compare  in  this  sense,  Mark 
C:  24;  James  1  :  6,  7. 

9.  In  like  manner  also— as  he  had  before 
declared  his  apostolic  will  respecting  the  posi- 
tion and  function  of  men  in  public  worship, 
tie  now  '  in  like  manner'  points  out  the  proper 
sphere  and  deportment  of  women  in  it.  In  the 
case  of  both,  the  directions  relate  to  the  public 
as.sembly  of  the  church.  That  women 
adorn    themselves    in    modest    apparel. 


with  shamefacedness  and  sobriety— their 

apparel  is  to  be  neither  gaudy  nor  slovenly, 
but  well  ordered,  decorous,  such  as  befits  tiie 
womanly  and  Christian  character;  and  their 
deportment  is  to  be  marked  by  modesty  and 
discretion.      Wordsworth     has     well    defined 
'shamefacedness'    (or,    shamefastness,    as  in 
Revised   Version),    as   that    "inner  grace  of 
reverence  .  .  .  especially  self-reverence,  which 
shrinks  from  anything  unseemly  and  impure," 
and   'sobriety'   as  "that  soundness  of  mind, 
which  regulates  and  controls  all  inordinate  de- 
sires, and  exercises  a  dignified  self-restraint  on 
the  actions  and  deportment."     This  last  word 
is  explained  by  Ellicott:  "sobermindedness," 
or  "the  well-balanced  state  of  mind,  arising 
from  an  habitual  self-restraint."     Not  Avith 
braided  hair,  or  gold,  or  pearls,  or  costly 
array— '  braided  hair,'  or  plaitings,  referring 
probably,  not  to  the  mere  braiding  or  plaiting 
of  the  hair,  but  to  the  custom  then  prevalent 
in  fashionable  life,  of  interweaving  in  the  hair 
gold,  silver,  pearls,  causing  it  to  flash  brilliantly 
in  the  light.    'Gold'  :  the  chain.s,  rings,  brace- 
lets, and  anklets,  with  which  the  female  was 
often   laden.      Compare   Isa.  3  :  16-24,   for  a 
graphic   descrijjtion  of  female  extravagance 
in  ornament,  and  the  prophet's  denunciati(m 
of  it.     Here,  as  in  1  Peter  3  :  3-5,  all  outward 
ornaments  are  not  forbidden,  but  only  that 
excess  in  their  use  which   marks  a  frivolous 
mind  anxious  for  display.      Their  outward 
adorning   is  not  to  be    their  distinguishing 
mark. 

10.  But  (which  becometh  women  pro- 
fessing godliness)  with  good  works— they 
shall  adorn  tliemselves,  not  in  costly  arraj', 
but  by  means  of  good  works.  Their  chief  dis^ 
tinction,  as  they  appear  in  the  church  of  God, 
shall  be  one  of  character,  derived  from  dveds 
of  charity  and  self-denying  labors  in  the  work 
of  religion.  Such  adorning  alone  '  becometh,' 
or  befits  them  as  'professing  godliness,'  or  piety 
toward  God,  who  regards,  not  the  outward 
appearance,  but  the  inward  character  and  the 
actual  life-.     '"Godliness'  (fleoo-e/Se.o,  a  word  not 


34 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  IL 


11  Let  the  woman  learn  in  silence  with  all  subjec- 
tion. 

12  But  I  suffer  not  a  woman  to  teach,  nor  to  usurp 
authority  oyer  the  man,  but  to  be  in  silence. 

13  For  Adam  was  first  lormed,  then  Eve. 

14  And    Adam    was    not   deceived,  but   the  woman 
being  deceived  was  in  the  transgression. 


11  fessing    godliness)    through    good    works.      Let   a 

12  woman  learn  in  quietness  with  all  subjection.    But 
I    permit    not    a   woman    to    teach,    uor    to    have 

1.3  dominion  over  a  man,  but  to  be  in  quietness.    For 

14  Adam  was  tiist  foinied,  then   Eve;   and  Adam  was 

not  beguiled,  but  the  womau  being  beguiled  hath 


elsewhere  used  in  the  New  Testament) :  it  de- 
notes reverenie  toward  God,  an  attitude  of 
mind  which  should  lead  to  modesty  in  apparel 
when  appearing  before  liim.  "  Their  life,  not 
dead  articles  of  apparel,  shall  be  their  adorn- 
ing; and  this  living  adorning  comes  only 
through  the  practice  of  good  works."  (Beck.) 
The  connection  is  rightly  given  by  Calvin: 
"If  piety  must  be  attested  in  works,  then  the 
profession  of  it  ought  to  appear  in  the  chaste- 
ness  of  the  apparel." 

11.  Let  the  woman  learn  in  silence 
with  all  subjection.  The  position  of  woman 
in  the  public  worship  of  the  church  is  here 
defined.  It  is  that  of  a  silent  learner,  in  man- 
ner and  in  act  yielding  subjection  in  all  lawful 
respects  to  the  authority  that  God  has  given  to 
man  as  leader  of  worship  in  the  assembly  of 
the  church.  This  is  laid  down  as  a  rule  uni- 
versal in  the  churches,  (t  cor.  14:34,35.)  The 
gospel  had  elevated  the  position  of  woman, 
and  given  her  a  share  in  the  ordinances  and  a 
place  in  the  assembled  church.  The  great 
truth,  so  new  to  the  ancient  world,  that  in  the 
kingdom  of  God  "there  is  neither  male  nor 
female  .  .  .  but  all  are  one  in  Christ  Jesus," 
had  lifted  the  sex  to  a  higher  plane;  and  it 
might  well  occur  that,  in  using  the  liberty 
thus  conferred,  some,  especially  in  a  city  like 
Ephesus,  would  seek  to  exercise  functions  in- 
consistent with  the  original  and  unchangeable 
position  of  subordination  that  God  had  ap- 
pointed for  the  sex. 

12,  But  I  suffer  not  a  Avoman  to  teach 
— that  is,  to  exercise  the  office  of  teacher,  or 
preacher,  in  the  church.  The  whole  passage 
relates  to  the  public  worship  of  the  church  ; 
the  context,  therefore,  plainlj'  limits  the  word 
'  teach,'  as  used  here,  to  teaching,  or  preaching, 
in  the  public  assembly.  Nor  to  usurp  au- 
thority over  the  man.  A  reason  for  the  pre- 
ceding prohibition.  The  position  of  teacher, 
or  preacher,  in  the  public  congregation  in 
itself  implies  superiority  or  authority  over 
those  who  are  taught;  and  the  functions  of 
this  office  are,  therefore,  forbidden  to  woman, 
as  inconsistent  with  the  subordinate  position 


that  God  assigned  her.  The  apostle  thus 
teaches  that  the  repulsion  which  is  felt  in  a 
well-constituted  mind  at  the  appearance  of 
woman  in  such  a  position  is  not  the  result  of 
mere  education  or  prejudice,  but  is  natural, 
springing  from  an  instinctive  sense  of  its  im- 
propriety as  a  violation  of  natural  order.  But 
to  be  in  silence.  Referring  still  solely  to 
her  position  and  duty  in  the  public  assembly 
of  the  church. 

13, 14.  For  Adam  was  first  formed,  then 
Eve — a  proof  of  the  subordination  of  woman 
to  man  as  seen  in  the  order  of  their  creation; 
the  man  was  first  created,  and  only  afterward, 
and  as  supplementary,  the  woman.  ''''First, 
so  that  the  woman  was  created  for  him." 
(Bengel.)  The  sense  is  more  fully  expressed 
(1  Cor.  11 : 7-9),  "For  the  man  is  not  of  the  woman, 
but  the  woman  of  the  man.  Neither  was  the 
man  created  for  the  woman,  but  the  woman 
for  the  man."  And  Adam  was  not  de- 
ceived, but  the  woman  being  deceived, 
was  in  the  transgression.  A  second  proof 
of  woman's  subordination,  as  also  a  reason  for 
her  subjection,  is  that,  in  the  temptation,  her 
greater  weakness  wtis  manifest,  in  that,  while 
Adam  was  not  deceived,  she  was  completely 
deceived  by  the  tempter.  The  serpent,  recog- 
nizing the  greater  weakness  of  her  nature, 
assailed  her  and  not  the  man  (Gen.  3:i);  and 
she,  being  fully  deceived,  has  come  into  trans- 
gression. She  was  thus  first  in  the  transgres- 
sion, and  that  through  a  pliancy  of  natuie 
which,  it  is  implied,  the  serpent  did  not  expect 
in  the  man,  and  would  not  have  found  in  him. 
The  man,  on  the  other  hand,  was  not  thus 
deceived,  but  only  yielded  to  sin  when  the 
tempter,  through  the  woman's  fall,  had  gained 
the  higher  vantage  ground  of  approaching  him 
through  her  persuasions,  and  of  influencing 
him  through  the  love  he  bore  her.  (Gen.3:i2, 17.; 
The  man  and  the  woman  both  sinned  ;  but  the 
woman  was  the  more  susceptible  to  deception, 
yielding  to  a  temptation  lower  in  form  and 
less  in  power.  Eve,  the  first  woman,  is  here 
regarded  as  representative  of  her  sex,  showing 
in   her   weakness  the   relative    inferiority   uf 


Ch.  II.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


35 


woman  in  that  form  of  intellectual  and  moral 
strength  required  for  leadership  and  the  exer- 
cise of  authority;  but  it  is  obvious  that  this  is 
not  inconsistent,  either  with  her  superiority 
to  man  in  those  qualities  which  specially  dis- 
tinguish her  within  her  true  sphere,  or  with 
the  many  and  marked  exceptions  in  which  the 
female  nature  has  proved  itself  superior,  alike 
in  penetration  to  detect  and  expose  deception, 
and  in  power  to  resist  and  overcome  tempta- 
tion. There  is  here,  also,  perhaps  a  reminis- 
cence of  the  sentence  pronounced  on  the 
woman  (QeQ.3:i6):  "Thy  desire  shall  be  to 
thj'  husband,  and  he  shall  rule  over  thee.' 
Compare  1  Cor.  11  :  3-15;  Eph.  5:  22-24. 

The  passage  plainly  denies  to  woman  the 
office  of  the  ministry,  or  the  function  of  prayer 
and  instruction  in  the  public  assemblies  of  the 
church,  on  the  ground  that  such  an  office,  as 
it  involves  authority  over  the  man,  is  incon- 
sistent with  the  divinely-constituted  nature 
and  position  of  woman  as  subordinate  to  man. 
The  proofs  of  this  subordination  are  two:  1. 
It  is  indicated  by  tiie  order  of  their  creation, 
— '  Adam  was  first  formed,  then  Eve,' — where, 
however,  the  proofs  of  woman's  inferior  posi- 
tion is  not  found  merely  in  her  later  creation, 
but  rather  in  the  cause  of  it;  namely,  that  her 
creation  was  in  order  to  supply  a  need  of  the 
man,  and  that,  in  effecting  jt,  she  was  taken 

OUtofhim.       (Gon.  2:18-21;  1  Cor.  II:  7-9.)       She  WaS 

therefore,  only  a  complement  of  the  man;  a 
subsequent,  and  not  a  primary,  figure  in  the 
transaction.  2.  The  subordination  of  woman, 
in  nature  and  position,  further  appears  in  the 
fall,  in  that  the  serpent,  recognizing  her  rela- 
tive weakness,  assailed,  not  the  man,  but  the 
woman  ;  and  in  that,  completely  deceived,  she 
yielded,  and  thus  came  first  into  transgression. 
These  reasons,  founded  on  the  original  consti- 
tution and  nature  of  the  woman,  are  plainly 
valid  in  all  places  and  in  all  ages;  and  the 
rule  excluding  woman  from  the  office  of  the 
ministry  in  the  church,  of  which  they  form 
the  ground,  is  consequently  universal  and  per- 
petual. Resting  on  the  primal  relation  God 
established  between  the  sexes,  it  is  unrestricted 
by  time  and  place,  and  remains  in  force  for 
all  the  ages.  This  rule,  however,  reqtiiring 
the  silence  of  women  in  the  public  worship  of 
God,  can  only  by  a  most  arbitrary  interpreta- 
tion be  applied  to  her  in  the  informal,  social 
meeting.      Plainly  it   is  only  in   the  official  I 


position  of  the  public  teacher  of  the  church 
she  would  '  usurp  authority  over  the  man '  ; 
and  the  inhibition,  therefore,  has  its  natural 
limitation  to  the  functions  of  the  ministerial 
office.      In  spirit,   indeed,   it  would  forbid  to 
woman,  in  any  mixed  assembly,  an  arrogant, 
declamatory,  or  didactic  mode  of  address,  as 
unsuited  to  her  nature  and  relations ;  but  noth- 
ing in  the  language  or  connection  here  can 
properly  be  construed  as  forbidding  her,  in 
the  informal  social  gatherings  of  Christians, 
the  utterance  of  her  heart  experiences  in  tlie 
communion  of  saints,  and  the  outbreatiiing  of 
her  spiritual  desires  in  communion  with  God, 
provided  it  be  done  in  a  manner  befitting  the 
modesty  and  gentleness  of  her  sex.     Indeed, 
many  examples  show  that  public  prayer  and 
address  were  not  forbidden  to  woman  on  all 
occasions,    as   that  of   Anna   in    the    temple 
(Luke2:38),  and  that  of  Mary  and  the  women 
assembled  with  the  one  hundred  and  twenty. 
(Acts  1 :  u.)     The  apostle  elsewhere  refers,  with- 
out rebuke,  to  women  praying  and  prophesy- 
ing in  the  church,  and  prescribes  the  manner 
in  which  they  should  do  this,     (i  Cor. ii  :3-i6.) 
[May  not  the  apostle  refer,  in  1  Cor.  11  :  3-16, 
to  small,  social  meetings  of  Christians  wherein 
thought  and  feeling  were  expressed  in  a  con- 
versational manner?    This  interpretation  was 
accepted  by  Meyer  in  the  last  edition  of  his 
commentary,  and  it  brings  the  passage  into 
harmony  with  his  direction  in  1  Cor.  14:  34-36. 
That  Christians  often  met  in  small  groups  in 
private  houses  is  evident  from  several  passages 
of  the  New  Testament,  and  it  certainly  is  pos- 
sible that  Paul  had  in  mind  such  meetings. — 
A.  H.]     The  plain  import  of  the  passage  here 
is,    therefore,    woman,    being    subordinate  to 
man,   should    fill   no  office  and   exercise  no 
function   in   the  church   involving  authority 
over  man  ;  but  neither  the  language  here,  nor 
the  analogy  of  other  Scripture,  allows  an  in- 
terpretation  forbidding  her  participation    in 
public  exercises  consistent  with  the  subordi- 
nate  position  of  her    sex,   although  without 
doubt  her  chief  sphere,  as  here  indicated,  is 
the  home  life. 

15.  Notwithstandinp-that  is,  that  she 
came  thus  into  transgression — she  shall  be 
saved  in  (or.  thronrih)  childbearin;;— that 
is,  the  '  childbearing'  decreed  in  G<»d's  sen- 
tence on  her,  "In  sorrow  shalt  thou  bring 
forth  children  "  (Geu.  s:  is),  which,  as  the  special 


36 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  m. 


15  Notwithstanding  she  shall  be  saved  in  chilJbear- 1  15  fallen   into  transgression:  but   she   shall  be  saved 
ing,  if  they  cuuiiuue  iu  faith  and  charity  and  holiness  through  i  her  childljeariug,  if  they  contii:ue  in  faith 

with  sobriety.  |        and  love  and  saucliticatiou  with  sobriety. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THIS  is  a  true  saying,  If  a  man  desire  the  office  of  a 
bishop,  he  desireth  a  good  work. 


1      2  Faithful  is  the  saying,  If  a  man  seeketh  the  office 


1  Or,  the  childhearing *2  Some  connect  tlie  words  Faithful  is  the  saying  with  the  preceding  paragraph. 


sorrow  of  her  appointed  lot,  is  selected  here 
as  chiiracterizing  her  whole  sphere  in  life; 
namely,  the  home,  in  its  privacy  and  sanctity, 
rather  than  the  public  assembly,  in  its  utter- 
ances of  worship  and  instruction.  '  Notwith- 
standing' her  sin,  she  shall  find  salvation  ;  yet 
not  through  using  the  functions  and  usurping 
the  tiuthority  of  man,  but  through  abiding  in 
the  sphere  and  performing  the  functions  Grod 
has  appointed  her.  "A  holy  married  life, 
with  the  bearing  and  training  of  children,  is, 
as  a  rule,  the  appointed  path  for  women  ;  and 
it  will  end  in  their  salvation  in  spite  of  their 
original  weakness,  if  that  path  be  humbly  and 
faithfully  pursued."  (Conybeare.)  '^Child- 
bearing  evidently  denotes  the  sphere  which 
properly  belongs  to  the  woman,  and  thus 
stands  in  opposition  to  the  sphere  of  public 
teaching,  which  she  enters  only  by  usurpa- 
tion." (Wiesinger.)  Thus  Bengel,  De  Wette, 
Huther,  Beck,  and  most  expositors.  Words- 
worth, however,  interprets:  ''Saved  through 
the  child  bearing — that  is,  through  the  blessed 
childhearing  of  the  promised  Seed  of  the 
Woman,  the  second  Adam,  Jesus  Christ." 
With  this  concur,  for  substance.  Doddridge, 
Macknight,  Eilicott,  and  Fairbairn.  If  they 
continue  in  faith  and  charity  and  holi- 
ness with  sobriety.  Lest  they  might  con- 
ceive of  the  peculiar  functions  of  their  life  as 
the  means  of  their  obtaining  salvation,  rather 
than  as  the  sphere  in  which  it  is  to  be  attained, 
the  apostle  here  states  the  means  on  which 
tlieir  salvation  is  conditioned  :  they  must  first 
possess,  and  then  continue  in,  faith  and  love 
and  holiness,  with  self-restraint,  or  sobermind- 
edness. 

Note:  The  apostle  here,  as  elsewhere,  as- 
sumes that  the  Mosaic  account  of  the  creation 
and  fall  is,  not  only  in  substance,  but  in  detail, 
historically  true.  He  has  here  distinctly  based 
on  the  statements  recorded  in  Genesis  his  ar- 
gument respecting  the  relative  position  of  the 
sexes  in  the  church  through  all  ages.  Indeed, 
the  entire  Pentateuch,  in  all  its  essential  facts 


and  in  the  forms  of  expression  it  employs,  is 
uniformly  treated  by  Christ  and  his  apostles 
as  authentic  and  historic,  a  course  absolutely 
inconceivable,  if  it  were  either  mythical  or 
allegorical  in  character,  or  a  post-exilian  com- 
position falsely  ascribed  to  Mo.«es.  See  Matt. 
22  :  31.  32 ;  Mark  10  :  3 ;  John  3  :  14 ;  7  :  19 ; 
8  :  58 ;  Rom.  4:3;  10  :  5;  1  Cor.  10  :  2;  2  Cor. 
3:7;  Gal.  3  :  8. 

Ch.  3:  1-7.  Qualifications  Required 
IN  A  Pastor. — He  who  aspires  to  this  oflSce  is 
desiring  an  honorable  work;  in  him,  there- 
fore, the  following  qualifications  are  required: 
1.  An  irreproachable  Christian  character,  un- 
blemished by  vices  and  adorned  by  the 
Christian  virtues.  (2,  3.)  2.  A  wise  and  firm 
guidance  and  rule  in  his  own  family,  as  the 
pledge  of  his  ability  to  preside  over  the 
church.  (4,  5.)  3.  A  maturity  of  Christian 
experience  and  character,  suflScient  to  insure 
that  his  elevation  to  the  oflBce  will  not  serve 
to  inflate  his  pride  and  thus  work  his  injury. 
(6.)  4.  A  good  reputation  outside  of  the 
church,  so  that,  resting  under  no  reproach,  his 
influence  in  the  office  may  not  be  impaired, 
and  he  may  not  thereby  fall  into  the  snare  of 
the  devil.     (7.) 

1.  This  is  a  true  saying  {or,  faithftd  is 
the  saying) — an  expression  found  chiefly  in 
the  Pastoral  Epistles,  designed  to  emphasize 
the  following  statement  as  important  and 
worthy  of  confidence.  If  a  man  desire,  or, 
seek — literally,  stretches  himself  out  after  ; 
that  is,  aspires  to,  the  aspiration  here  being 
not  necessarily  other  than  an  honorable  one. 
Compare  Heb.  11  :  16.  The  word  may  denote 
that  longing  desire  for  the  work  of  preaching 
the  gospel  which  is  the  primary  evidence  of  a 
divine  call  to  it,  and  without  which  there  is  no 
real  fitness  for  it.  It  is  probable  that  in  the 
Ephesian  Church  there  were  those  who  thus 
aspired  to  the  pastoral  ofllice.  The  office  of  a 
bishop — in  the  Greek,  only  a  single  word 
(twiffKOTrij)  ;  literally,  oversight.     It  denotes  in 


Ch.  III.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


2  A  bishop  then  must  be  blameless,  the  husband  of 
one  wife,  vij^ilant,  sober,  of  good  behaviour,  given  to 
hospitality,  apt  to  teacii ;  I 


37 


2  of  a  1  bishop,  he  desireth  a  good  work.  The  i  bishop 
tlierefi.re  must  be  without  reproach,  the  husband  of 
one  wile,  temperate,  soberminded,  orderly  given  to 


1  Ok    overseer. 


Scripture :  1.  The.  act  of  visitation,  as  when 
God  visits  men,  either  for  blessing,  as  "the 
time  of  thy  visitation"  (Lukei9:«),  or  for  judg- 
ment, (isa.  10 : 3.)  2.  The  office  of  an  overseer 
((ni<TKoiroi).  Here,  as  the  context  shows,  it  is 
used  in  the  latter  sense,  and  characterizes  the 
office  by  its  chief  work,  the  oversigiit  or  care 
of  the  church.  The  word  pastor,  as  at  present 
used,  is  the  equivalent  of  'bishop'  (eina/coiroj), 
as  used  in  the  New  Testament.  He  desireth 
a  good  work— not  merely  a  good  position  or 
dignity,  but  a  good  wo7-k;  an  occupation 
which  is  morally  excellent,  alike  in  its  object 
and  in  its  exercise,  a  vocation  worthy  of  one's 
aspiration,  in  the  beneficence  and  grandeur  of 
its  purpose  and  in  the  purity  and  excellence 
of  its  nature. 

The  word  here  translated  'bishop'  (eTrtVKOTro?) 
was  "the  name  given  in  Athens  to  the  men 
sent    into    subdued    States   to  conduct    their 
affairs."     (Cremer.)     In  the  New  Testament 
it  is  used  as  follows :  The  verb  (iiTKTKOjrto,)  from 
which  it  is  derived  is  found  twice— Heb.  12  : 
15:    ''  Looking  diligently,  lest  any  man  fail  of 
the  grace  of  God,"  and  1  Peter  5  :  2:  "Feed 
the  flock  of  God,  which  is  among  you,  taking 
the  oversight  thereof  not  by  constraint,  but 
willingly."    In  the  second  instance  it  refers  to 
the    pastor's   office.      The   noun   (ctiVkottos)   is 
found  five  times,  in  four  of  which  it  designates 
a  pastor,  or  overseer,  of  a  church  (Acts  20  .-28; 
Phil.  i:i:iTim.3: 2;  Titus  1:7),  and  in  One  Christ  as 
the  Pastor,  or  Overseer,  of  the  whole  church. 
(1  Peter 2: 25.)     The  tcrms  bishop  and  elder  in 
the  New  Testament  are  plainly  used  as  desig- 
nations of  the  same  officer;    the  distinction 
between  them,  elevating  the  bishop  in   rank 
above  the  elder,   is  post-apostolic  and  wholly 
unknown  in  Scripture.     The  evidence  of  this 
is  as   follows:  1.  The.se  terms  are  repeatedly 
used  as  interchangeable,   as  Acts  20  :  15,  28; 
Titus  1:5-7;    1  Peter  1:2.     2.  The  qualifica- 
tions and  duties  required  of  them  are  identical, 
as  1  Tim.  3  :  1-7  ;  Titus  1  :  5-9.    3.  Ordination,' 
which  has  been  claimed  as  a  special  preroga- 
tive of  bishops,  in  the  later  sense  of  the  word, 
was  plainly  conferred    by  the   eldership,    or 
presbytery,   1  Tim.  i  ;  14.     4.  Elder,  derived 


from  Jewish  usage,  emphasizes  the  dignity  of 
the  office,  while  bishop,  taken  from  the  Greek, 
points  out  its  peculiar  work  as  one  of  over- 
sight; both  terms  were,  therefore,  naturally 
in  common  use,  as  designating  dilierent  aspects 
of  the  one  office.  Jerome  says:  "A  presby- 
ter, therefore,  is  the  same  as  a  bishop,  and 
before  these  were,  by  the  devil's  instigation, 
parties  in  religion,  and  it  was  said  among  the 
people:  'I  am  of  Paul,'  and  'I  of  Apollos,' 
and  'I  of  Cephas';  the  churches  were  gov- 
erned by  the  common  council  of  the  presby- 
ters."^ ("Com.  on  Titus.")  This  view  of  the 
identity  of  the  bishop  and  presbyter,  or  elder, 
in  the  New  Testament,  has  now  the  sanction 
of  neariy  all  scholars,  English  and  German, 
Episcopal  and  non-Episcopal,  and  ought  to  be 
regarded  as  settled. 

2.  A   bishop  then.    Such   being  the  ex- 
alted nature  of  a  pastor's  office  and  work,  he 
proceeds  to  show,  as  an  inference  therefrom, 
the  qualifications  necessary  for  it.     Must  be 
blameless— literally,  one   who   in    wrestling 
gives  his  adversary  no  hold  on  him;   hence, 
one  who  gives  no  occasion  of  reproach,  irre- 
proachable  in  character  and  conduct.     The 
husband  of  one  wife— not  that  hermi.'ithe 
a   married  man,  although  the   pa.ssage,   con- 
trary to  the  Romish  dogma  of  the  celibacy  of 
the  clergy,  clearly  implies  that  a  pastor  in  the 
apostolic  churches  was  usually  a  married  man, 
and  perhaps,  as  Huther  suggests,  "there  is  at 
bottom  a  pre-supposition  that  it  is  better  for  a 
bishop  to  be  married  than  to  be  unmarried." 
But  the  requirement  is  that,   if  married,   he 
must  have  but  one  wife.     The  question  tlien 
occurs,  whether  this  forbids,  in  the  candidate 
for  the  pastoral  office,  that  he  have  more  than 
one  wife  at  the  same  time,  or  that  he  reniarrv 
after  his  first  wife's  death.     Is  it  polygamy  or 
is  it  remarriage  that  is  here  prohibited? 

The  latter  view,  that  it  forbids  remarriage, 
was,  in  accordance  with  the  prevailing  ascetic 
tendency,  very  early  taken  by  some  in  the 
patristic  churches.  It  has  always  prevailed 
in  the  Greek  and  the  Oriental  Churches,  and 
is  defended  by  many  eminent  Protestant*,  as 
Blooriifield,  Wiesinger,  Van  Oosterzee,  Hu- 


38 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  in. 


ther,     Alford,     EUicott,     Wordsworth,    and 
Fausset.     The  grounds  of  this  view  may  be 
briefly   summarized   as   follows:    1.   That  no 
evidence  exists  of  polygamy  in  the  apostolic 
churches ;  there  was,  therefore,  no  need  of  its 
prohibition  in  the  ministry.     2.  That  a  gen- 
eral sentiment  tlien  prevailed  against  second 
marriages,  especially  by  persons  engaged  in  a 
sacred  work,  as  is  plain  from  the  prohibition 
of  it  in  the  Pagan  priesthood,  and  from  the 
frequent  condemnation  of  it  in  the  patristic 
literature.     Abstinence  from  it  in  the  Chris- 
tian ministry  would,  therefore,  be   naturally 
required  as  a  matter  of  expediency,  that  the 
common  sentiment  of  society  might   not  be 
offended.     3.  It  is  generally  added,  however, 
that  the  rule,  as  it  was  thus  based,  not  on  an 
immutable  moral  principle,  but  on  temporary 
expediency,   is   not  now  imperative,   in    the 
changed  condition   of   modern   public  senti- 
ment.     The    other   interpretation,   however, 
making  it  forbid  polygamy,  or  the  having  of 
more  than  one  living  wife,  is  by  far  the  more 
natural,  alike  from  the  language  and  the  cir- 
cumstances.    It  was  held  among  the  Fathers 
by    Chrysostom,    Theodoret,    Jerome,    Oecu- 
menius,  and  Theophylact,  and   among  Pro- 
testants has  been  advocated  by  Calvin,  Henry, 
Scott,  Barnes,  Fairbairn,  and  Beck.     It  rests 
on  the  following  considerations:    1.  Accord- 
ing  to  Rom.   7  :  2-4,    death    absolutely   sun- 
ders the  marriage  bond,  leaving  the  survivor 
wholly  free,  as  if  never  before   married,  to 
enter  into  a  new  marriage  relation.     Conse- 
quently the   man   who   marries  again,    after 
being  bereft  by  death  of  his  former  wife,  is, 
in  the  Pauline  conception,  still  only  "  the  hus- 
band of  one  wife."     The  apostle  could  never 
conceive  of  such  a  person  as  having  more  than 
one  wife;   and  he  can,  therefore,  by  no  just 
construction  of  language,  be  conceived  here 
as  regarding  a  remarriage  as  disqualifying  for 
the  pastorate.     2.   Remarriage,  after  the  death 
of  the  wife,  cannot  be  in  itself  wrong,  since 
the  apostle  expressly   sanctions    the    remar- 
riage of  widows  (1  Cor.  7:8.  9,  39),   and,   in   the 
case  of  the  younger  widows,  directly  enjoins 
it.     (5 :  u)     Now,    as    there    is    no    principle 
-which  would  distinguish,  in  this  respect,  the 
case  of  the  woman  from  that  of  the  man,  the 
same  rule  must  apply  to  both.     This  argu- 
ment is  strengthened,  also,  when  the  apostle's 
emphasis  on  the  universal  right  of  marriage  is 


considered.  "  Marriage  is  honourable  in  alU' 
(Heb.  13  :  i.)  3.  Pol^'gamy  was  at  that  time  not 
uncommon,  both  among  Jews  and  Gentiles, 
especially  in  the  East;  and,  sanctioned  by  ex- 
alted examples  in  the  Old  Testament,  there 
was  danger  that  it  might  find  a  permanent 
place  in  the  Christian  Church.  ''Even  in  the 
time  of  Justin  we  find  the  Rabbins  practicing 
polygamy  "  ("Dial,  cum  Tryph."  page 226,  ed. 
Pan);  "the  Emperor  Theodosius  enacted  a 
special  law,  anno  393,  forbidding  polygamy  to 
tlie  Jews"  (Tholuck,  on  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  Matt.  5  :  31). 

But,  as  it  was  the  purpose  of  the  gospel  to 
elevate  the  female  sex  and  restore  the  mar- 
riage relation  to  its  original  condition  (Mat. i9: 
3-12),  as  the  union  of  one  man  to  one  woman, 
it   was   in   the   highest  degree  probable  that 
polygamy  would   be   forbidden    in    a  church 
officer.      For    if,   as    is  altogether    probable, 
some  such  polygamous  families  had  been  con- 
verted, and  the  diflSculties  and  hardships  at- 
tending their  separation  had  led  to  their  tem- 
porary tolerance  in  the  church,  still  it  might 
be  expected  that  men    in   such    polygamous 
relations,  though  tolerated  in  private  station, 
would  be  excluded  from  those  public,  oflScial 
positions,  in  which  Christianity  was  exi)ected 
to  be   more  conspicuously  exemplified.     Be- 
sides, the   lax   laws  of  divorce,  and   the  still 
more  lax  usages  of  society  in  regard   to  di- 
vorce then  previileut  among  both  Jews  and 
Gentiles,  made  it  a  not  unusual  fact  that  a 
married  man  had  several   former  wives  still 
living,  who,  having  been  divorced  on   some 
other  than  the  one  Scriptural  ground,  were  in 
the  sight  of  God  still  his  wives.     Now  such  a 
man,  when  converted,  might  find  it  impossible 
to  rectif3^   the    false  marital    relations    thus 
formed,  and  might,  nevertheless,  be  allowed  a 
place  in  the  church  ;    but  it  is  plain  that  he 
could  not  be  put  in  the  conspicuous  and  re- 
sponsible position  of  a  pastor.     [If  we  bear  in 
mind  the  fo'llowing  facts:  (1)  that  no  cases  of 
actual   polygamy  in  the  early  churches  are 
reported — that  is,  no  instances  of  men  living 
with  two  or  more  women  as  their  wives  at  the 
same  time;    (2)  that  the  practice  of  divorce 
for  unsscrlptiirnl  rensona  was  alarmingly  fre- 
quent— more  frequent,  indeed,  than  at  almost 
any  other  period  in  history;  (3)  that  the  apos- 
tle gives  the  same  rule  in  the  same  form  of 
expression  respecting  a  widow  (5  :  9),  who  can- 


Ch.  IIL] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


89 


3  Not  given  to  wine,  no  striker,  not  greedy  of  filthy 
lucre;  but  patient,  not  a  brawler,  not  covituus ; 

4  One   tliat   ruletli  well   his  own   house,  having  his 
children  in  subjection  with  all  gravity; 


3  hospitality,  apt  to  teaih  ;  'no  brawler,  no  striker 

4  but  gentle,  not  contentious,  no  lover  of  money;  one 
that  ruleth  well  his  own  house,  having  /i,s  children 


Or,  not  quarreUome  over  wine. 


not  be  supposed  to  have  lived  with  more  than 
one  husband  at  the  same  time,  or  to  have 
been  rejected  by  Paul  for  marrying  agaiu 
after  the  death  of  her  husband,  but  who  may, 
by  iini)roper  divorce,  have  had  more  than  one 
husband — it  appears  safe  to  assume  that  the 
apostle  had  in  view  those,  and  those  only,  who 
might  properly  be  regarded  by  Christians  as 
having  more  than  one  wife,  because  they  had 
effected  divorce  for  insufficient  reasons,  and 
had  taken  a  second  wife.  See  a  fuller  exami- 
nation of  these  passages  in  the  editor's  "Scrip- 
tural Law  of  Divorce,"  pp.  61-70. — A.  H.] 
4.  There  is  no  adequate  evidence  that  remar- 
riage was  forbidden  to  the  Pagan  priesthood, 
nor  that  a  common  sentiment  existed  against 
it,  either  in  the  Greek  or  Koman  population 
in  the  iipostolic  age.  The  popular  sentiment 
which  prevailed  against  it  at  a  later  period 
was  based  on  the  false  asceticisiri  which  after- 
ward arose  as  Christianity  became  corrupted. 
It  seems  clear,  therefore,  that  the  disqualifica- 
tion here  intended  is  not  remarriage  after  the 
death  of  a  wife,  but  polygamy,  or  the  having 
at  the  same  time  more  than  one  living  wife. 

Vigilant.  The  word  denotes  one  who  is 
abstinent,  especially  as  regards  the  use  of  wine 
or  strong  drink,  but,  in  a  derived  sense,  one 
who  is  watchful  over  all  his  appetites  and  pas- 
sions, to  hold  them  in  due  restraint.  Sober 
{<Tut4>(xav) — of  sound  mind;  one  who  has  at 
once  sound  sense  and  sound  morals,  in  whom 
the  moral  understanding  dominates  the  lower 
nature,  and  the  man  is  hence  sound  minded, 
self-restrained,  discreet.  Of  good  behav- 
iour (ito<r)iMK) — referring  to  the  outward  de- 
portment; orderly,  decorous,  a  kind,  court- 
eous man,  a  Christian  gentleman.  The  word 
denotes  that  which  is  v^ell  ordered,  and  thus, 
in  some  connections,  modeat,  as  ch.  2:9.' 
Given  to  hospitality — hospitable,  ready  to 
entertain  strangers:  a  duty  specially  import- 
ant in  the  social  conditions  of  ancient  times, 
when  Christians  could  not  find  entertainment 
at  the  public  inns  without  danger,  either  of 
insult  or  of  iwmplicity  with  idolatry.     (Bom.  12- 


13;  Titus  I  :  10;  Heb.  13:2;  1  Peter  4  :  9.)      Apt  tO  teach 

— including  both  the  disposition  or  the  love 
for  teaching,  and  the  ability'  or  skill  for  it. 
The  minister,  then,  must  neither  be  ignorant 
nor  undisciplined;  for  how  can  one  be  "apt 
to  teach"  whose  mind  is  un.st<>red  with  knowl- 
edge and  untrained  to  impart  it?   {mm.  2 -.  ■n-26.) 

3.  Not  given  to  wine— literally,  not  with 
wine.  The  word,  by  usage,  marks  the  jier- 
son,  not  only  as  addicted  to  wine,  but  also  as  in 
the  condition  of  character  and  life  resulting 
from  such  a  habit,  "including  drunkenness 
and  its  manifestation  ";  hence,  a  brawler,  or 
violent,  disorderly  person.  No  striker— not  a 
man  of  violent,  combative  disposition,  per- 
haps including  here  the  bodily  manifestation 
of  it.  He  must  be  one  who  has  his  temper 
under  control,  not  moved  by  passion,  but 
ready  to  "show  all  meekness  to  all  men." 
Not  greedy  of  filthy  lucre.  This  is  not  found 
in  the  older  manuscripts,  but  is  probably  in- 
terpolated from  Titus  1 :  7,  where  it  properly 
belongs.  Thus  nearly  all,  except  Beck.  Bnt 
patient,  not  a  brawler.  Forbearing  and 
uncontentious,  the  two  attributes  standing  in 
contrast  with  the  disposition  of  the  "striker." 
The  pastor  is  not  to  be  a  hasty,  passionate,  vio- 
lent man,  but  to  possess  a  spirit  of  gentleness, 
averse  to  dispute  and  quarrel.  (2Tini.2:2*)  Not 
covetous — free  from  avarice,  or  greed  of 
worldly  gain,  with  perhaps  a  retrospective  re- 
ference to  the  requirement,  "given  to  hospi- 
tality." "Covetousness  is  bad  in  any,  but 
worst  in  a  minister  whose  calling  leads  him  to 
converse  so  much  with  another  world." 
(Henry.) 

4.  One  that  ruleth  well  his  own  house 
— or,  presides  well  over  his  own  household. 
Having  his  children  in  subjection.  His 
character  and  government  at  home  must  be 
such  as  to  secure  a  well-ordered  household,  in 
which  the  children  are  in  habitual  subjection. 
The  duty  and  importance  of  a  wise  and  firm 
family  government  are  constantly  taught  in 

Scripture     (Oen.l8:19;    Ps.  101:2;    Prov.22:«:    Eph.5:-«), 

and  the  sad  results  of  failure  in  this  find  illus- 


1"  What  o'liii^/ju)*' is  within,  that  ifOfM'OS  is  without."     (Lengel.) 


40 


i:  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  hi. 


5  (For  if  a  man  know  nol  bow  to  rule  his  own  house, 
how  shall  be  take  care  of  ihe  cbiirch  of  (jod  ?) 

G  Not  a  novice,  lest  being  lified  up  with  pride  he  fall 
into  the  condemnation  of  t  lie  devil. 

7  Moreover  lie  must  ba\e  a  good  report  of  them 
which  are  williout;  lest  he  fall  into  reproach  and  the 
snare  of  the  devil. 


5  in  subjection  with  all  giavity;  (but  if  a  uian  know- 
eih  not  how  to  rule  his  own   house,  how  shall  he 

6  take  care  ol'  the  church  of  God?)  not  a  novice,  lest 
being  pufl'ed  up  he  fall  into  the  '  condemnation  of 

7  the  devil.     Moreover  he  must  have  good  testimony 
from    them    that    are    without ;    lest   be   fall    into 


1  Gt.  Judgment. 


tration  in  the  case  of  Eli.  (i  Sum.3:n-i4.)  With 
all  gravity.  Keferred  by  Van  Oosterzee, 
Beck,  Hofinimn,  and  others  to  the  father,  as 
marking  tlie  dignity  of  manner  befitting  him 
in  the  family;  but  it  seems  more  naturally 
here  to  characterize  the  bearing  and  deport- 
ment of  the  cliildren,  "with  reverent  modesti',"' 
as  it  is  understood  by  most.  Compare  Titus 
1:6. 

5.  For  if  a  man  know  not  liow  to  rule 
his  own  house,  how  shall  he  take  care  of 
the  church  of  God?  An  argument  paren- 
thetically interposed.  A  pastor  is  to  preside 
over  the  church,  as  a  father  presides  over  his 
household;  the  success  of  the  candidate  in  the 
narrower  sphere  of  his  own  home,  is,  there- 
fore, a  proper  test  of  his  adaptation  to  success 
in  the  wider  sphere  of  the  cliurch.  If  he  has 
failed  in  the  less  charge,  he  is  clearly  unfit  for 
the  greater.  Here,  as  everywhere  in  the  New 
Testament,  in  describing  the  work  of  a  pastor, 
emphasis  is  placed,  not  merely  on  the  preach- 
ing function,  but  also  on  the  presiding,  govern- 
ing function.       (Heb.  la-.n-.  l  Pet.  5  :  1-4) 

6.  Not  a  novice  —  literally,  one  newly 
planted,  a  neophyte,  a  recent  convert.  Lest, 
being  lifted  up  with  pride  (or,  self-conceit) 
— literally,  lest  being  filled,  or  enveloped,  loith 
smoke;  that  is,  his  self-conceit,  like  smoke, 
darkening  his  vision,  so  that  he  does  not  see 
clearl3'  his  own  weakness  and  danger,  and  thus 
stumbles  into  some  trap  set  for  him  by  the  ad- 
versary. '■^  Wrapt  in  smoke,  so  that,  inflated 
with  self-conceit  and  exaggerated  ideas  of  his 
own  importance,  he  cannot  see  himself  and 
others  in  the  true  light."'  (Fausset.)  (iTim.6:4; 
2Tim.3:4.)  He  fall  luto  the  condemnation 
of  the  devil — that  is,  the  condemnation  into 
which  the  devil  fell.  Throughout  Scripture, 
as  in  2  Peter  2:  4;  Jude  6,  the  fall  and  con- 
demnation of  angels  appear  as  originating  in 
a  pride  which  led  to  self-will  and  rebellion; 
and  the  new  convert,  suddenly  elevated  to  a 
post  of  distinction  in  the  church,  was  in  danger 
thereby  of  a  self-conceit  that  might  lead  to  his 
destruction.    For  "pride  goeth  before  destruc- 


tion, and  a  haughty  spirit  before  a  fall.' 
(Prov.  16:18.)  "We  should  take  heed  of  pride 
because  it  is  a  sin  that  turned  angels  into 
devils."  (Henry.)  Doubtless,  there  is  so  wide 
a  diflerence  in  the  age,  character,  and  tenden- 
cies of  recent  converts,  that  no  fixed  rule  is 
possible,  as  to  the  length  of  time  which  sliould 
elapse  before  any  one  can  properly  be  admitted 
to  the  ministry  ;  but  the  most  imperative  con- 
siderations demand  that  careful  heed  be  given 
to  this  prohibition,  for  the  welfare,  alike  of  the 
convert  himself,  and  of  the  Church  of  God. 
The  wrecks  of  many  a  Christian  character, 
thus  destroyed,  lie  all  along  the  course  of 
Christian  history,  and  em])hasize  the  warning 
"Lay  hands  hastily  on  no  man."     (0:22.) 

7.  Moreover,  he  must  have  a  good  re- 
port of  them  that  are  without — that  is,  of 
those  who  are -not  members  of  the  church.  In 
the  selection  of  a  pastor,  regard  must  be  had  to 
the  reputation  he  has  in  the  general  commu- 
nity, as  to  his  truthfulness,  integrity,  and  pu- 
rity of  life.  His  character  and  life  among  men 
must  be  such  as  to  inspire  confidence,  so  that, 
in  discharging  the  duties  of  his  ofiRce,  he  may 
commend  iiimself  to  every  man's  conscience 
in  the  sight  of  God.  (■2Cor.4:2.)  This  care  in 
reference  to  the  general  reputation  of  church 
oflRcers  is  elsewhere  enjoined  and  exemplified. 

(Acts6:3;  16:2;    2  Cor,  6  :  3,  4  ;    lTh5S.4:12.)        LeSt     hC 

fall  into  reproach.  The  reproach  resulting 
from  his  previous  iil-repute,  which  would  be 
intensified  by  his  elevation  to  the  conspicuous 
position  of  a  pastor.  Or  the  reference  may  be 
to  the  reproach  occasioned  by  a  possil)le  re- 
lapse into  those  evil  courses,  which  had  already 
alienated  from  him  the  confidence  of  the  peo- 
ple. And  the  snare  of  the  devil.  The 
mini.^ter's  own  moral  power  is  weakened  if  he 
is  conscious  that  his  course  of  life  has  been  such 
as  to  alienate  frotn  him  the  confidence  of  the 
community;  such  an  one,  therefore,  should  not 
be  set  apart  to  the  oflRce,  because  he  would 
be  thereby  more  exposed  to  fall,  b^'  the  temp- 
tation either  to  seek  the  popular  favor  by  false 
methods,  or  to  defy  public  opinion  by  a  bold 


Ch.  III.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


41 


continuance  in  evil  courses.  It  is  evident, 
also,  that  no  man  whose  character  is  under 
reproach,  or  even  serious  suspicion,  can  ever 
accomplish  in  a  community  the  true  work  of 
a  Cliristian  pastor,  however  brilliant  may  be 
his  talents,  or  attractive  his  social  qualities. 

The  qualifications  here  required  in  the  pas- 
tor belong,  as  in  the  related  passages,  2  Tim. 
2 :  15-26 ;  Titus  1 :  5-9,  rather  to  the  realm  of  the 
common,  homely  virtues  than  to  that  of  in- 
tellect and  learning.  These  grand  moral  char- 
acteristics, as  forming  the  foundation  of  minis- 
terial character  and  usefulness,  must  distin- 
guish the  ministry  in  all  ages  and  all  lands; 
and,  while  the  intellectual  gifts  and  culture  of 
the  pulpit  will  difier  in  different  individuals 
and  at  different  times,  the  presence  of  tiie 
moral  qualities  here  specified  is  always  and 
everywhere  an  essential  condition  of  admission 
to  the  office.  It  is  the  duty,  therefore,  of  a 
cliurch  before  electing  a  pastor,  and  of  a  pres- 
bytery before  ordaining  him,  to  ascertain 
whether  these  qualifications  are  found  in  the 
candidate.  His  moral  dispositions;  his  self- 
government;  his  spirit  and  life  at  home  and 
abroad;  the  reputation  he  has,  as  a  man  and 
a  Christian,  outside  of  the  church — all  these 
are  points  of  cliief  moment  in  the  qualifica- 
tions of  a  pastor.  The  primal  question  to  be 
asked,  therefore,  is  not  "Is  he  talented?  Is 
he  learned?  Is  he  eloquent?  Is  he  social?" 
but  far  more,  "Is  he  thoroughly  Christian  in 
character,  and  godly  in  life?"  For  in  the  pas-  j 
toral  office,  while  gifts  are  important,  grace  is  j 
essential.  Moral  and  spiritual  qualifications,  j 
however,  though  fundamental,  are  not  the  only 
conditions  of  admission  to  the  pastoral  office, 
for  the  apostle  requires  also  that  a  man  be  '  apt 
to  teach.'  Elsewhere,  also,  he  gives  charge  that 
God's  word  be  committed  only  to  "faithful 
men,  who  shall  be  able  to  teach  others  also," 
"in  meekness  instructing  those  that  oppose 
themselves,"  '''able  by  sound  doctrine  to  ex- 
hort and  convince  the  gainsayers";  and  that 
the  minister  show  himself  "approved  of  God, 
a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed, 
rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth."  (2 Tim. 
2:2,i5,'25;  TUu8i:9.)  The  pastor's  work  is  to  un- 
fold and  enforce  truth  in  the  pulpit,  as  well 
as  to  illustrate  it  in  holy  living.  Piety,  there- 
fore, essential  as  it  is,  if  not  accompanied  with 
mental  gifts  and  discipline,  is  not  evidence  of 
a  ministerial  call. 


8-13.  Qualifications  Required  in  Dea- 
cons.—They  nmst  be:  1.  Men  of  dignified 
deportment,  trutliful,  temperate  and  liberal. 
(8.)  2.  Men  who  hold  the  gospel  in  a 
pure  conscience.  (9.)  3.  Men  wlio  have  been 
tested  and  have  shown  themselves  quali- 
fied, in  character  and  ability,  for  the  office. 
The  deaconesses,  who  were  probably  often 
chosen  from  the  wives  of  the  deacons,  the 
apostle  adds,  must  possess  the  same  moral 
qualifications,  in  general,  as  the  deacons.  (10, 
11.)  4.  Deacons  are  to  be  men  who  have 
only  one  living  wife,  and  who  preside  well 
over  their  own  households  (12).  Finally,  the 
value  and  importance  of  tlie  deacon's  office 
is  seen  in  the  ricliijos  of  its  reward,  which  is 
found  in  the  higher  advancement  in  grace  and 
the  greater  confidence  in  faith  which  its  right 
use  secures.     (13  ) 

The  Greek  term  for  deacon  (Siixoi/os)  signi- 
fies, in  general,  one  who  serves,  a  servant  in 
any  capacity;  but  its  special  application  in  the 
New  Testament  is  to  the  second  class  of  church 
officers.  Of  these  the  earliest  record  is  found 
in  the  appointment  of  "the  seven."  (Acis6:i-6) 
For  the  work  to  which  the  "seven"  were  set 
apart — namely,  "  to  serve  tables,"  or  supervise 
the  temporal  welfare  of  the  Church — is  one  of 
universal  and  permanent  neces.-ity,  and  is 
designated  by  the  corresponding  verb  (Sioxoi'en-), 
the  appropriate  word  for  the  work  of  the  dea- 
con's office;  while  it  is  also  placed  in  contrast  to 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  "prayer  and  the 
ministry  of  the  word,"  as  being  a  distinct  func- 
tion. The  general  sense  of  Christendom  has, 
therefore,  interjireted  this  as  the  institution  of 
the  diaconate.  and  the  subsequent  references 
to  the  office  in  the  New  Testament  confirm 
this  view.  The  following  facts  a|>pear  in 
Scripture:  1.  It  is  a  permanent  office  in  the 
church  ;  for  not  only  is  the  permanent  need  of 
such  officers  evident,  but  deacons  are  men- 
tioned with  bishops  as  the  ordinary  officers, 
and  their  qualifications  alone,  besides  those  of 
bishops,  iwc  specifically  prescribed.  See  Phil. 
1  :  1;  1  Tim.  3  :  8-13.  Compare,  also,  Rom. 
12:7;  1  Peter  4: 11.  2.  They  are  chosen  by 
the  whole  congregation  of  disciples,  and  are 
ordained  by  the  ministry.  (Act»6:5.e)  The 
term  of  service,  whether  long  or  short,  is  not 
prescribed,  and  is  doubtless  to  be  decided  by 
each  church  for  itself.  3.  The  duty  of  the 
deacons  is  to  administer  the  temporal  afiiiirs  of 


42 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  III. 


8  Likewise  must  the  deacons  he  grave,  not  double- 
tongued,  not  given  to  much  wine,  not  greedy  of  filthy 
lucre ; 

y  Holding  the  mystery  of  the  faith  in  a  pure  con- 
science. 

10  And  let  these  also  first  be  proved;  then  let  them 
use  the  otfice  of  a  deacon,  hum^  found  blameless. 


8  reproach   and  the  snare  of  the  devil.    Deacons  in 
like  manner  musl  be  grave,  not  doubletongued,  not 

9  given  to  uuicli  wine,  not  greedy  of  filthy  lucre;  hold- 
ing the  mystery  of  the  faith  in  a  pure  cotisciftice. 

10  And  let  these  also  first  be  proved;  then  let  them 


the  church,  such  as  the  relief  of  the  poor,  the 
support  of  public  worship,  the  care  of  the 
church  property,  and  the  provision  for  the  due 
administration  of  the  ordinances.  This  is  evi- 
dent from  their  original  appointment.  They 
were  "to  serve  tables,"  that  is,  attend  to  ar- 
rangements for  the  sustenance  of  the  poor  and 
of  the  ministry,  this  being  done  from  a  com- 
mon fund ;  and  their  work  is  thus  placed  in 
direct  contrast  with  that  of  "the  twelve," 
which  was  "prayer  and  the  ministry  of  the 
word."  While,  therefore,  the  elders  supervise 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  church,  the  dea- 
cons have  the  supervision  of  its  temporal  in- 
terests. In  the  Episcopal  organization  of  the 
church,  the  deacons  form  the  third  order  of 
spiritual  officers,  and  are  empowered  to  preach 
and  baptize.  They  are  not  "lay,"  but  "cleri- 
cal" officers.  As  opposed  to  this,  however,  it 
is  significant  that,  among  the  qualifications 
here  required  for  the  diaconate,  Paul  omits, 
apt  to  teach,  and  emphasizes  those  qualities 
which  give  special  fitness  for  secular  duties, 
thus,  as  in  its  original  appointment,  broadly 
distinguishing  the  office  from  that  of  the 
preacher.  It  is  true  that  Philip,  one  of  "the 
seven,"  preached  and  baptized;  but  this  oc- 
curred some  time  after  his  choice  to  the  dia- 
conate. and  when  he  had  become  an  evan- 
gelist.     (  Acts  8  :  26-40 ;    21:8.) 

8.  Likewise  must  the  deacons  be  grave 

—of  dignified  character  and  deportment;  seri- 
ous men,  free  from  levity  and  frivolity.  Not 
doubled-tongued— of  double  speech,  saying 
one  thing  to  this,  and  a  different  to  that;  or, 
of  deceitful  speech,  saying  one  thing,  but 
meaning  or  doing  another.  In  their  official 
work,  they  are  necessarily  in  constant  inter- 
course with  the  members  ,of  the  church,  and 
prevarication  or  duplicity  in  them  must  be 
most  pernicious  in  its  influence.  They  are, 
therefore,  to  be  men  of  transparent  character, 
truthful  in  their  words  and  faitliful  to  their 
promises.  Not  given  to  much  wine — not 
wine  bibbers.  Wine  and  strong  drink  were 
forbidden,  on  pain  of  death,  to  the  Jewish 
priests,  when  engaged  in  the  services  of  the 


Tabernacle.  (Lev. io:9.)  They  were  also  pro- 
hibited to  the  heathen  priesthood  in  their  tem- 
ple worship.  Much  more,  then,  might  we 
expect  that  a  man  addicted  to  them  would  be 
disqualified  for  official  position  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  (ver. 3.)  Not  greedy  of  filthy 
\ucre— base  gains.  "All  gain  is  filthy  (liter- 
ally, base)  which  is  set  before  a  man  as  a  by- 
end  in  his  work  for  God."  (Alford.)  The 
love  of  money  is  especially  dangerous  in  one 
who,  by  his  office,  is  placed  in  trust  with  the 
church  funds,  and  is  concerned  in  the  admin- 
istration of  them.  To  u  man  greedy  of  gain, 
the  temptation  would  be  great,  if  not  to  actual 
theft,  yet  to  such  use  of  the  funds  as  might 
further  his  personal  pecuniary  interests.  Note 
the  case  of  Judas.  See  John  12:  6;  compare 
Titus  1:  11;  1  Peter  5:  2. 

9.  Holding  the  mystery  of  the  faith. 
'Mystery,'  in  the  New  Testament,  does  not 
ordinarily  denote  that  which  is  mysterious  or 
difficult  to  understand,  but  rather  that  which 
was  once  hidden — a  truth,  or  cycle  of  truths, 
which  was  before  undiscovered,  but  which  has 
now  been  made  known  by  revelation  from 
God.  It  denotes  here  the  whole  cycle  of  truths 
relating  to  the  person  and  work  and  salvation 
of  Christ,  which,  once  hidden  from  men,  but 
now  revealed  in  the  gospel,  are  apprehended 
and  received  by  foith.  Compare  Kom.  16: 
26;  1  Cor.  2:7:  Gal.  3;  23;  Eph.  8:  3-12.  In 
a  pure  conscience— that  is,  a  conscience 
which  has  been  made  free  from  guilt,  and  is 
kept  pure,  or  in  conscious  integrity,  by  faith 
in  Christ.  The  conscience,  thus  pure,  "  was  to 
be,  as  it  were,  the  insphering  principle  (2  Tim. 
1:3)."  (EUicott.)  "The  pure  conscience  is 
thecoffi^r  in  which  the  truth  is  best  deposited." 
(Van  Oosterzee.)  "Pure  doctrine  and  pure 
conscience  must  always  go  together."  (He- 
dinger.) 

10.  And  let  these  also—not  "also,"  as  if 
in  addition  to  the  bishops,  but  rather,  let  these, 
moreover— t\mt  is,  in  addition  to  the  things 
already  required.  First  be  proved— not  by 
any  formal  procedure,  but  by  a  life  in  the 
church  of  sufficient  length  to  test  their  real 


Ch.  Ill  ] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


43 


11  Even  so  must  their  wives  be  grave,  not  slanderers,  I 
sober,  faithful  in  all  tliiii<;s.  I 

1.!  Let  the  deacons  be  the  husbands  of  one  wife,  rul- 
ing their  children  and  their  own  houses  well. 

13  For  they  lliut  have  used  the  office  of  a  deacon  well 
purchase  to  tlieuiselves  a  good  degree  and  great  bold- 
ness in  the  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus. 


11  serve  as  deacons,  if  they  be  blameless.  Women  in 
like  manner  uiasl  be  grave,  not  slanderers,  temper- 

12  ate,  faithful  in  all  things.  Let  deacons  be  husbands 
of  one  wile,  ruling  tlitir  children  and   their  own 

13  houses  well.  For  they  that  have  served  well  as 
deacons  gain  to  themselves  a  good  standing,  and 
great  boluuess  in  the  faith  which  is  in  Chriai  Jesus 


Jiharacter  and  ability.  Then  let  them  use 
the  office  of  a  deacon,  being  found 
blameless.  Tliey  are  not  to  be  selected 
from  new  and  untried  men,  but  from  those 
wlio,  after  trial,  have  proved  themselves  fitted 
for  the  office.  "The  more  prominent  the  place 
God  allots  any  one,  the  more  blameless  should 
be  his  life,  because  many  observe  him." 
(Starke.) 

11.  Even  so  must  their  wives.  Better, 
as  in  the  Revised  Version :  Women  in  like 
manner — that  is,  women  filling  the  deacon's 
office,  deaconesses.  As  the  words  occur  in  the 
midst  of  a  description  of  the  qualifications  of 
deacons,  the  Anglican  Version,  as  also  Conant, 
translates  "tlieir  wives,"  with  which  accords 
the  view  of  Calvin,  Henry,  Barnes,  Cony- 
beare,  Huther,  and  others.  Decisive  reasons, 
however,  seem  here  to  require  its  reference  to 
the  deaconesses,  who  may,  indeed,  often  have 
been  wives  of  deacons,  but  who  are  here  men- 
tioned as  the  female  members  of  the  diaconate. 
For,  1,  it  is  evident  tbat  deaconesses  existed 
in  some  of  the  apostolic  churches,  since  we 
read  of  Phebe,  a  deaconess  of  the  church  at 
Cenchrea  (Rom.  i6:i),  and  of  certain  women 
who  at  Philippi  labored  with  Paul  in  the  gos- 
pel, and  seem  to  have  had  an  official  position. 
(Pdii.  1:  3.)  In  the  post-apostolic  churches,  this 
office  certainly  existed  ;  and,  indeed,  the  seclu- 
sion of  females  in  the  East,  and  the  peculiar 
relations  of  the  sexes  in  Greek  cities,  must  have 
made  such  female  officers  a  necessity.  2.  In 
like  manner,  with  which  this  verse  begins,  is 
the  same  transitional  word  that  introduced  the 
directions  for  the  deacons,  and  in  itself  suggests 
the  introduction  of  a  class  separate  from  them; 
and  doubtless  the  verse  was  introduced  at  this 
point,  because  the  qualifications  of  the  deacon- 
e.sses  form,  as  will  be  seen,  a  parallel  to  those 
required  of  the  deacons  in  the  immediatelj' 
preceding  verses.  3.  The  Greek  has  not  'their 
wives,'  but  simply  loomen  (ywi/ar«t),  without 
article  or  pronoun,  and  it  is,  therefore,  prop- 
erly rendered,  not  "their  wives,"  but  women, 
and,  in  this  context,  female  deacons.  4.  It  is 
difficult  to  see  why  the  qualifications  of  dea- 


cons' wives  should  be  specified,  and  not  also 
those  of  bishops'  wives;  but  there  was  a  plain 
reason  for  defining  the  qualifications  of  the 
deaconesses,  since  to  them  was  largely  com- 
mitted the  administration  of  church  relief, 
pecuniary  and  spiritual,  among  the  female 
members  of  the  flock.  The  great  body  of 
commentators,  therefore,  ancient  and  modern, 
have  understood  this  passage  as  relating  to 
deaconesses.  Must  be  grave — dignified  in 
deportment,  serious,  decorous.  Not  slan* 
derers — literally,  not  devils,  calumniators, 
"talebearers,  carrying  stories  to  make  mis(;hief 
and  sow  discord."  It  "corresponds  to  the 
'double-tongued'  (SiAoyous),  in  the  males,  be- 
ing the  vice  to  which  the  female  S(!X  is  more 
addicted."  (Alford.)  Sober — parallel  to  the 
"not  given  to  much  wine"  in  the  men,  and 
perhaps,  therefore,  to  be  taken  as  at  least 
including  the  physical  sense.  Faithful  in 
all  things — placed  over  against  'greedy  of 
filthy  lucre'  in  the  men,  and  requiring  a  scru- 
pulous fidelity  in  the  administration  of  the 
relief  funds  of  the  church,  as  well  as  in  the 
discharge  of  the  other  duties  of  the  office. 

12.  Let  the  deacons  be  the  husbands  of 
one  wife.  As  in  the  pastor's  office,  so  also  in 
the  deacon's,  polygamy,  or  having  more  than 
one  living  wife,  is  a  disqualification.  See  notes 
under  ver.  2.  Ruling  their  children  and 
their  own  houses  well.  It  seems  to  be 
implied  that  the  deacon  will  ordinarily  be  a 
married  man  and  the  head  of  a  family,  over 
which  he  is  required  so  to  preside  as  to  secure 
a  well-ordered  household.     Compare  ver.  2,  4. 

13.  For  they  that  have  used  the  office  of 
a  deacon  well — better.  They  that  have  served 
v)ell  as  deacons — at  once  a  reason  for  requiring 
such  qualities  in  the  deacon  and  an  incentive  to 
the  earnest  and  diligent  use  of  them,  since  a 
great  reward  attaches  to  the  r)ffice.  Purchase 
to  (or,  gain  for)  themselves  a  good  degree 
(or,  standing) — literally,  step,  as  the  step 
before  a  door  or  on  a  staircase;  hence,  figur- 
atively, a  step  upward,  an  advanced  position. 
Of  this  good  standing,  or  upward  step,  tlirce 
different  interpretations  have  been  given:  1, 


44 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  III. 


14  These  things  write  I  unto  thee,  hoping  to  come 
unio  thee  shortly : 


14  These  things  write  I  unto  thee,  hoping  to  come 

15  uuto   thee  shortly  ;  but  if  I  tarry  long,  that   thou 


A  preferineat  in  the  church,  as  from  the  dea- 
con's to  the  pastor's  ofBce.  2.  An  advanced 
spiritual  position  in  a  richer  religious  exper- 
ience and  an  enlarged  spiritual  power.  3.  A 
higher  position  at  last  in  the  greater  reward 
God  will  bestow  upon  his  faithful  and  suc- 
cessful servants,  as  taught  in  the  parable  of 
the  pounds.  (Lukeia:  11-27.)  The  second  of  tliese, 
interpreting  of  an  advanced  position  in  Chris- 
tian experience  and  life,  seems  here  best  suited 
to  the  context — at  least,  as  the  main  thought; 
since  ti>e  apostle  would  hardly  present  eccle- 
siastical preferment  as  a  motive  to  fidelity ;  and 
the  reference  to  the  higher  position  of  the 
faithful  in  heaven,  though  suitable  as  a  motive, 
is  less  consonant  with  the  motive  that  follows, 
'great  boldness  in  the  faith,'  which  plainly 
relates  to  the  present  life.  The  expression 
presents,  therefore,  as  a  reward  of  fidelity  in 
the  diaconate,  a  higher  standing  place  in  the 
Christian  life  in  a  richer  consciousness  of  union 
with  Christ  and  a  more  full  realization  of  the 
Cliristian  hope,  although  perhaps  the  heavenly 
reward  need  not  be  excluded,  as  it  is  in  full 
accord  with  the  doctrine  of  the  future  reward 
of  believers   as   taught   by   Christ    (Matt.  19-29; 

25:34-40;  Luke  19: 11-27),  and  by  the  apOStlcS  (l  Coi- 
3:8-15;  2Cor.9:6;  2  Tim.  4:7,8;  1  Peter  5:  4;  2  John  8).    And 

great  boldness  in  the  faith  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus — perhaps  not  'in  the  faith,'  but 
as  tlie  Greek  is  without  the  article,  in  faith. 
The  right  use  of  the  oflSce  secures  a  strong 
faith  or  a  higher  confidence  in  the  e.xercise  of 
that  faith  which  is  based  on  Christ. 

It  will  be  observed  that  here,  as  in  the  case 
of  pastors,  the  qualifications  emphasized  are 
those  rather  of  the  homely  virtues  than  of  the 
brilliant  gifts.  Tliey  are  qualities  of  character 
and  life  such  as  evoke  the  respect  and  love  and 
confidence  of  men,  and  form  the  essential  basis 
of  religious  power.  'The  passage  thus  suggests, 
not  that  higti  culture  and  brilliant  gifts  should 
not  be  sought  in  church  officers,  but  that  the 
virtues  of  a  solid  character  and  a  pure  life  are 
of  far  higher  moment;  and  that,  while  the 
former  may  sometimes  be  wanting,  the  latter 
ought  never  to  be  absent. 

Note  also  that  here,  as  everywhere  in  the 
New  Testament  when  permanent  officers  are 
mentioned,  only  two  classes  appear  in  the 
church — pastors  and  deacons;,  the  qualifica- 


tions of  the  one  class  adapting  them  to  the 
work  of  public  instruction  and  spiritual  guid- 
ance in  the  church,  those  of  the  otiier  fitting 
them  for  the  wise  and  safe  administration  of 
its  temporal  concerns.  There  w'as  no  third 
class;  but  the  qualifications  named  and  in- 
structions given  all  relate  to  these  two  classes 
only.  Evidently  there  was  no  prelatical 
bishop  at  Ephesus  presiding  over  the  diocese 
of  Asia,  otherwise  the  injunctions  here  given 
would  have  been  sent  to  him,  and  not  to 
Timothy.  Certainly  Timothy  himself  was 
not  Bishop  of  Ephesus,  since  liis  office  was 
that  of  an  evangelist  (2 Tim. 4:5),  traveling  as 
an  assistant  to  Paul  (Actsi6:i-.s)  ;  and  he  had 
been,  at  this  time,  onlj'  temporarily  left  at 
Ephesus  for  a  special  work  (1  =  3),  Paul  himself 
expecting  soon  to  return  and  relieve  him  of 
his  charge  (3:14,15).  Indeed,  it  is  difficult  to 
conceive  an  assumption  more  absolutely  desti- 
tute of  Biblical  foundation  than  that  which 
makes  Timothy  "the  first  Bisho})  of  Ephesus." 
A  prelate,  or  hierarchical  bishop,  as  the  head 
of  a  diocese,  is  wholly  unknown  in  the  New 
Testament. 

14-16.  Obedience  to  the  Above  In- 
structions Enforced  by  the  Dignity 
OF  THE  Church,  as  the  House  or  God, 
AND  ITS  Importance  as  the  Pillar  and 
Ground,  or  Base,  of  the  Truth.— 1.  Paul, 
though  hoping  to  come  to  Timoth\-  soon,  yet 
contemplates  delay  as  possible,  and  sends, 
therefore,  these  instructions,  that  he  may 
know  how  to  conduct  himself  in  the  affiiirs 
of  the  Ephesian  Church.  (14,  15.)  2.  The 
importance  of  guiding  aright  the  affairs  of  the 
church  is  shown,  (a)  from  the  exalted  char- 
acter of  the  church  as  "the  house  of  God," 
"the  church  of  the  living  God";  (/>)  from 
the  momentous  relation  of  the  church  to  the 
world,  as  "the  pillar  and  base  of  the  truth," 
in  conserving  and  proclaiming  divine  truth 
among  men;  and  (c)  from  the  sublime  char- 
acter of  the  truth,  thus  witnessed  by  the 
church,  as  the  'mystery  of  Godliness,'  or 
God  Incarnate  ;  his  life,  death,  resur- 
rection, AND  glorification.     (15,  16.) 

14.  These  things  write  I — the  foregoing 
instructions,  especially  those  relating  to  the 
qualifications  of  pastors  and  dencons.  Hop- 
ing to  come  unto  thee  shortly  (or,  more 


Ch.  III.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


45 


15  But  if  I  tarry  long,  that  thou  mayest  know  how 
thou  oughtest  to  t)ehave  thyself  in  the  house  of  God, 
which  is  the  church  of  the  'living  God,  the  pillar  and 
ground  of  the  truth. 


niayest  know  i  how  men  ought  to  behave  themselves 

in  the  house  of  God,  which  is  the  churcli  of  the  liv- 

16  ing  God,  the  pillar  and  -' ground  of  the  truth.    Aud 


1  Or,  how  thou  oughteat  to  behave  thgself 2  Or,  stay. 


quickly).  Circumstances  at  pi-esent  portended 
delay,  but  he  liojjed  that  some  change  would 
occur  in  liis  situation,  allowing  liini  to  come 
sooner  than  now  seemed  pnjbable. 

15.  But  if  I  tarry  long  (//,  notwithstand- 
ing mi/  hope,  lain  delayed)  that  thou  niayest 
know  how  thou  oughtest  to  behave  (or, 
conduct)  thyself — or,  how  men  ought  to  con- 
duct thetnselves.  The  construction  admits  of 
either  translation,  but  tlie  former  accords 
better  with  the  scope  of  this  passage.  In 
either  case  the  reference  is  not  to  behavior 
or  deportment,  but  to  the  course  of  action  to 
be  pursued,  that  thou  mightest  know  how  to 
act,  what  course  of  action  is  required  in  con- 
ducting the  atiairs  of  the  church.  In  the 
house  of  God.  The  temple  in  Israel  was 
"the  house  of  God,"  because  he  dwelt  in  it 
among  his  people  and  his  visible  presence  was 
there  manifested  in  the  Shekinah  above  the 
mercy  seat  in  the  Holy  of  Holies.  This  was 
typical  of  the  church.  In  the  New  Testa- 
ment his  redeemed  people  constitute  his  house, 
he  dwelling  in  them  as  within  a  living  temple. 
Hence  the  church  is  represented  as  a  build- 
ing, a  glorious  structure  composed  of  "living 
stones,"  "'built  upon  the  foundation  of  the 
apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself 
being  the  chief  corner-stone ;  in  whom  all  the 
building,  fith'  framed  together,  groweth  unto 
a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord"  ;  "an  habitation 
of  God  through  the  Spirit."  Eph.  2  :  20-22; 
compare  1  Cor.  3  :  9-17;  2  Cor.  6  :  16;  Heb. 
3  :  G;  2  Peter  2  :  5.  And  as  the  whole  body 
of  his  people  form  his  living  temple,  so  also 
each  local  church,  as  composed  of  believers 
united  by  faith  to  the  one  Lord,  forms  'the 
house  of  God,'  within  which  he  dwells  and 
reveals  his  glorious  presence.  Which  is  (or. 
Since  it  is ;  innsmxich  as  it  is)  the  church  of 
the  living  God.  In  contrast  with  the  temple 
made  by  hands  at  Ephesus,  enshrining  the  dead 
image  of  Diana,  this  glorious  structure,  in 
which  Timothy  ministered,  was  "a  living 
community  of  saints  pervaded  by  the  living 
God."  The  word  church  {iKK\yiaia)  is  used  in 
the  New  Testament  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
times.     Of  these,  in  three  instances  it  denotes 


the  legislative  assembly  of  citizens  in  a  free 
Greek  city;  in  two,  the  Hebrew  "congrega- 
tion of  the  Lord"  ;  and  in  one  hundred  and 
ten,  the  Christian  Church.  As  designating 
the  church,  it  is  used  ninety-two  times  of  the 
local  church,  as  "  the  church  at  Jerusalem," 
"the  churches  of  Galatia";  and  eighteen 
times,  either  of  the  whole  church,  conceived 
as  composed  of  all  the  elect,  who  are  to  form 
one  grand  assembly  at  last  in  heaven,  or  of 
Christians  generally,  as  in  Acts  9  :  31 :  "  Then 
had  the  cJmrch  (corrected  text)  rest  through- 
out all  Judea  and  Galilee  and  Samaria."  In 
the  text  the  word  refers  to  the  local  church  at 
Ephesus,  but  contemplated  (as  every  true 
church  is,  in  fact),  as  a  type,  a  dim  but  real  rep- 
resentation of  the  universal  spiritual  church. 
The  ministry  of  Timothj',  and  of  the  psistors 
and  deacons,  was  concerned  with  the  affairs  of 
this  'church  of  the  living  God';  and  hence 
the  high  qualifications  required  in  tliein,  and 
the  care  and  order  and  solemnity  which  should 
mark  their  ministration.  The  pillar  and 
ground  of  the  truth.  The  apostle,  with  char- 
acteristic rapidity  of  transition,  now  changes 
the  figure.  The  temple  is  here  no  longer  the 
church,  but  the  truth — especially  the  great 
truth  of  the  incarnation,  and  of  the  life,  deatii, 
resurrection,  and  universal  reign  of  the  God- 
man  ;  and  the  church  is  a  column  and  base  of 
this  temple,  sustsiining  it,  and  bearing  it  up 
for  the  gaze  and  wonder  and  faith  of  men. 
As  a  column,  with  its  base,  or  foundation,  sus- 
tains and  lifts  ah-ft  the  magnificent  temple, 
displaj'ing  its  splendor  and  strength,  and  the 
genius  and  skill  of  its  architect,  even  thus  is 
each  church  a  column  and  base  of  the  truth. 
It  is  God's  chosen  institu^jon,  by  which  his 
truth  is  upborne  and  made  known  througli  all 
ages.  It  is  not  the  autlior  of  the  truth,  nor 
the  authority  on  which  the  truth  is  published  ; 
but,  receiving  the  truth  from  God  as  given  in 
his  word,  its  office  is  to  conserve  and  publish 
it  as  God's  message  to  men.  Without  the 
church,  therefore,  the  truth,  unpreserved  and 
unproclaimed,  would  perish  from  the  enrtli. 
Some  interpreters  make  this  clattse,  not  appo- 
sitional  with  "the  church  of  the  living  God," 


46 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  III. 


16  And  without  controversy  great  is  the  mystery  of 
godliness:  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified  in  the 
Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  unto  the  (.ieuUles, 
believed  ou  in  the  wond,  received  i.p  into  glory. 


without  controversy  great  is  the  mystery  of  godli- 
ness; 1  He  who  was  uianiksted  in  the  flesli,  justiiiid 
in  the  spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  among  the 
nations,  believed  on  in  ilie  world,  received  up  iu 
glory. 


1  The  word  God,  in  place  of  He  who,  rests  on  uo  sufBolent  ancient  evidence.    Some  ancient  auttaorities  read  which. 


but  the  beginning  of  a  new  sentence— thus, 
"A  pillar  and  ground  of  the  trutli,  and  con- 
fessedly great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness." 
But  surely  the  apostle,  even  in  his  old  age, 
could  hardly  liave  used  such  rhetoric.  The 
other,  and  older,  construction,  is  far  more 
Pauline,  and  is  consonant  with  his  purpose 
here,  to  unfold  the  greatness  of  the  church 
and  its  mission,  in  order  to  impress  Timothy 
and  the  ministry  of  all  ages  with  the  greatness 
of  their  charge  and  the  consequent  necessity 
of  high  qualifications  in  those  who  under- 
take it. 

16.  And  Avithout  controversy — that  is, 
confessedly ;  it  is  a  point  that  must  be  acknowl- 
edged—great  is  the  mystery.  'Mystery' here, 
as  in  ver.  9,  denotes,  not  that  which  cannot  be 
apprehended  or  understood,  but  that  which 
was  once  hidden  or  unknown ;  something 
which  the  reason  could  not  have  discovered, 
but  which  can  be  known  only  by  revelation 
from  God,  and  which,  as  a  fact  of  pure  revela- 
tion, can  be  received  only  by  faith.  This  great 
truth,  hitlierto  unrevealed  and  unknown,  had 
now  been  made  known  by  the  actual  incar- 
nation, life,  death,  resurrection,  and  glorifica- 
tion of  God  in  man ;  and  of  this  truth  the 
church  is  'the  pillar  and  base.'  The  con- 
serving and  publishing  of  this  momentous 
truth  constitute  the  mission  of  the  church; 
and  hence  the  supreme  importance  of  this 
divine  organization  as  'the  church  of  the 
living  God'  and  the  care  with  which  its 
affairs  should  be  conducted.  Of  godliness. 
This  '  mystery  '—God  taking  on  him  humanity, 
and  living,  suifering,  dying,  rising,  and  reign- 
ing in  humanity — ^is  for  human  souls  the  source 
of  godliness :  in  it  are  all  possible  motives  to 
holy  living.  It  is  this  g,Teat  fact,  fully  appre- 
hended and  believed  in  the  soul,  which  breaks 
the  power  of  sin  and  quickens  to  a  new  life  of 
lioliness.  The  all-potent  revelation  of  the 
gospel  is  Christ  as  God-man  ;  and  from  it,  as 
received  in  the  soul,  comes  all  true  godliness. 
For  "  in  it  Christ  says,  '  Be  ye  holy,  for  I,'  who 
have  taken  your  nature  and  joined  it  to  the 
nature  of  the  Holy  One,  '  am  holy.'  "   (Words- 


worth.) God  (properly,  v}ho).  For  reasons 
assigned  below,  I  accept  as  the  true  reading 
here,  who  (os),  instead  of  God  (fleos),  in  accord- 
ance with  the  decision  of  the  great  body  of 
recent  Biblical  critics.  Properly  translated, 
therefore,  it  is,  ivho  was  manifested,  the  rela- 
tive referring  to  '  mystery '  as  its  logical,  though 
not  strictly  grammatical,  antecedent,  because 
the  Son  of  God,  as  incarnate,  is  the  dominant 
thought  involved  in  it. 

Was  manifest  in  the  flesh— that  is,  the 
Son  of  God  entered  into  personal  union  with, 
and  revealed  himself  in,  humanity.  This  is 
the  constant  teaching  of  Scripture :  "The  Word 
was  made  flesh"  (John i:  14);  "Who,  being  in 
the  form  of  God  .  .  .  was  made  in  the  like- 
ness of  men"  (Phil. 2:6,7);  " The  life  was  mani- 
fested;  and  we  have  seen,  and  bear  witness, 
and  show  unto  you  that  eternal  life  which  was 
with  the  Father  and  was  manifested  unto  us" 
(iJoimi:2).  The  expression  presupposes  the 
pre-existence  and  the  divinity  of  Christ.  Jus- 
tified— was  shown,  proved  to  be  righteous — 
in  the  Spirit— i/ie  Holy  Spirit,  not  Christ's 
spirit,  considered  as  the  seat  of  his  divine  na- 
ture; forherethereisnoantithesis  to  "flesh  "  in 
the  preceding  clause,  but  the  clauses  follow  the 
simple  historical  sequence  in  his  manifestation. 
First,  he  became  incarnate,  or  '  was  manifest  in 
the  flesh '  ;  then  his  divine  Sonship  was  demon- 
strated by  the  Holy  Spirit,  given  to  him  and 
working  in  him.  He  was  approved  as  righteous 
when,  in  token  that  the  Father  was  in  him 
"well-pleased,"  the  Holy  Spirit  descended  on 
him  at  the  baptism.  (Matt.3:i6.)  The  Father 
gave  "not  the  Spirit  by  measure"  to  him,  but 
in  unbounded  fullness.  He  was  "led  bj^  the 
Spirit"  to  his  temptation  (Matt.4:i) ;  his  mighty 
works  were  effected  "through  the  Spirit" 
(Matt.i2:28)  ;  and  this  presence  and  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  divinely  attested  him  as  right- 
eous and  authenticated  his  claims  as  the  Son 
of  God.  Seen  of  (or,  appeared  to)  angels — 
that  is,  made  himself  visible  to  them.  The 
verb,  though  passive  in  form,  is  active  in  sense. 
Compare  Acts  7  :  26 ;  26 :  18.  The  Son  of  man, 
even  in  the  depths  of  his  humiliation,  revealed 


Ch.  III.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


47 


himself  to  angels  as  the  exalted  Son  of  God  ; 
and  iit  every  step  in  his  earthly  path  tliey  saw, 
through  the  vail  of  his  flesh,  the  infinite  and 
eternal  God.  They  recognized  him  even  in 
his  lowly  birth.  (Luke2:»-i4.)  They  ministered 
to  him  in  the  wilderness  temptation,  and  in 
Gethsemane.  Had  he  chosen  to  avoid  arrest, 
"more  than  twelve  legions  of  angels"  would 
have  come  to  defend  him.  (Muu.  :i6:33.)  When 
he  had  suttered  death,  these  glorious  beings 
were  present  to  witness  his  resurrection  and 
to  grace  his  triumphant  ascension.  (Actsi:io,  ii.) 
He  thus,  in  all  the  vicissitudes  of  his  earthly 
life,  stood  fully  revealed  before  the  angelic  | 
world  as  the  God-man,  and,  with  adoring 
wonder,  they  watched  around  his  path  from 
the  mangpr  to  the  tomb.  Preached  unto 
the  Gentiles  (or,  aynong  the  nations).  Even 
during  our  Lord's  life,  the  salvation  he  brought 
passed  beyond  Israel  to  other  peoples,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  Syrophenician  woman  (Mark 
7:.!6),  and  of  the  Roman  centurion  (i-uke  7:2.io). 
Before  he  ascended,  he  charged  his  disciples 
to  go  into  "all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel 
to  every  creature"  ;  and  in  the  apostolic  age 
Christianity  achieved  its  widest  triumphs 
among  the  Gentile  nations.  This  was  the 
marvel  of  that  age,  that  God  became  Man  to 
provide  a  salvation  for  all  men.   Gentiles  as 

well  as  Jews.       (Acts  U  :  IS;  Rom.  10:  1'2,  13;  Eph.  2:11-22; 

3:8.)  Believed  on  in  the  world.  This  sal- 
vation was  actually  effectual.  Though  rejected 
by  the  great  body  of  the  Jews,  there  were  yet 
many  who  believed  on  him  ;  and  these  earlier 
disciples  were  but  the  precursors  and  pledges 
of  the  vast  multitude  who,  after  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  given,  became  believers  in  Christ 
and  heirs  of  salvation. 

Received  up  into  glory.  This  was  the 
crowning  triumph  of  Christ,  the  final  proof 
that  he  was  God  incarnate,  when,  ascended 
and  glorified,  he  took  his  seat  at  God's  right 
hand,  and,  as  the  God-man,  the  divine  human 
King  of  the  universe,  received  all  power  in 

heaven  and  earth.  (Actsl  :9;  John  17:5;  Kph.  1:19.23; 
Phil.  2:9-11  ;  Rev.  5:6.U.) 

Such  is  the  greatness  of  that  truth  of  which 
the  church  is  '  the  pillar  and  base^ ;  and  hence 
the  sacredness  of  the  work,  and  the  required 
sanctity  of  character  of  those  who  are  called 
to  official  station  in  it.  This  sublime  myster}', 
the  personal  manifestation  of  God  in  man,  is 
here  outlined  in  successive  clauses,  rhythmic 


in  their  structure.  Many  commentators,  there- 
fore, have  regarded  them  as  quoted  b^'  the 
apostle  from  some  early  confession  or  hymn 
used  in  the  apostolic  churches.  It  seems,  how- 
ever, far  more  natural  to  think  that  the  lan- 
guage here  was  original  with  Paul,  and,  as  a 
wonderful  statement  of  God  manifested  in  hu- 
manity, was  afterward  adopted  as  a  creed  or 
liturgic  form,  for  which  its  rhythmic  structure 
so  well  fitted  it.  For  in  Paul,  as  in  all  great 
writers  and  orators  when  treating  of  subjects 
in  their  nature  sublime,  the  tendency  is  to 
poetic  and  rhythmic  expression.  Compare 
Rom.  8  :  38,  39;  11  :  33-36.  Farrar  versifies  as 
follows:  "And  confessedly  great  is  the  mys- 
tery of  godliness — who  was 

"  Manifested  in  the  flesh, 
Justified  in  the  Spirit, 

Seen  of  angels. 
Preached  among  the  Gentiles, 
Believed  on  in  the  world, 

Taken  up  in  glory." 

Observe  the  sublime  character  and  position 
of  the  church,  and  its  supreme  importance  as 
an  outward  organization.  It  is  'the  house  of 
God'  ;  not  a  human  organization,  constituted 
and  ordered  by  men  and  ruled  for  earthly 
ends,  but  an  organization  of  God,  constituted 
according  to  a  divine  ideal  by  a  union  of  re- 
demed  souls,  and  forming  a  living  temple,  in 
which  dwells  the  living  God.  Its  mission  is 
to  conserve  and  publish  to  the  world  divine 
truth,  and  especially  that  highest  of  all  truths, 
the  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  the 
life,  death,  resurrection,  and  glorification  of 
the  God-Man  as  the  ground  and  the  pledge  of 
the  redemption  and  glorification  of  all  who 
believe  on  him.  Apart  from  this  divine  or- 
ganization, that  momentous  truth  might  pcri.«h 
from  the  earth,  and  salvation  fail  among  men. 
Indeed,  so  important  is  the  church  that  much 
of  the  New  Testament  is  occupied  with  in.struc- 
tions  respecting  it.  It  is  impossible  to  think, 
therefore,  that  its  form  and  order  have  been 
left  to  men,  to  be  changed  from  age  to  age, 
according  to  human  caprice  and  .shortsighted- 
ness, or  that  those  are  resting  on  Scriptural 
ground  who  depreciate  this  great  institution  of 
God  as  a  mere  outward  organization,  to  he 
changed  or  to  be  dispensed  with,  as  men  may 
decide.  Plainly,  such  was  not  Paul's  concep- 
tion of  'the  church  of  the  living  God.' 
Note,  also,  the  dignity  and  solemnity  of  the 


48 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  IV. 


CHAPTEK  IV. 


"VrOW  the  Spirit  speaketh  expressly,  that  in  the  latter 
il  times  some  shall  depart  from  the  taith,  giving 
heed  to  seducing  spirits,  aud  doctrines  of  devils ; 


1      But  the  Spirit  saith  expressly,  that  in  later  times 
some  shall  lall  away  from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to 


ministerial  ofBce.  The  ancient  Jewish  priests 
ministered  in  a  temple  made  with  hands,  and 
enshrining  for  ages  not  even  a  visible  repre- 
sentation of  God;  for  the  Sheehinah,  or  visi- 
ble glory  of  God,  had  long  since  departed,  and 
the  Holy  of  holies  was  empty.  But  the  minis- 
tration of  the  gospel  is  performed  in  this  living 
temple,  composed  of  redeemed  souls  and  per- 
vaded by  the  presence  of  the  living  God,  "a 
habitation  of  God  tiirough  the  Spirit."  How 
great  the  necessity,  therefore,  as  the  apostle 
infers,  that  those  who  take  on  them  this  min- 
istration be  men  of  Cliristian  virtues  and  of 
holy  lives,  and  thus  be  worthy  of  the  gospel 
they  preach  and  of  'the  church  of  the  living 
God '  wherein  tliey  serve ! 

The  reading  in  ver.  16,  "  God  was  manifested 
in  the  flesh,"  has  long  been  held  as  doubtful. 
Manuscript  and  other  authority  exist  for  either 
God  (Seos),  or  lohich  (5),  or  who  (os).  The  evi- 
dence adduced  for  the  respective  readings  may 
be  summed  up  as  follows:  For  God  (eeos)  may 
be  adduced:  1.  The  uncial  codices,  D*,  J,  H, 
N5,  none  of  which  are  earlier  than  the  seventh 
century,  and  then  as  altered  in  this  place  by  a 
later  hand.  2.  Nearly  all  the  cursive  manu- 
scripts, which,  however,  do  not  date  back  of 
about  the  tenth  century.  3.  The  citation  of 
the  passage  with  this  reading  by  Chrysostom, 
Theodoret,  Euthalius,  Macedonius,  and  other 
of  the  later  Fathers.  For  which  (5)  may  be 
urged :  1.  The  uncial  codex  D'  of  the  seventh 
century,  but  only  as  a  correction.  2.  The 
early  Latin  versions,  except  Jerome's.  For 
who  (6?)  the  evidence  is:  1.  The  uncial  codices, 
K,  or  Sinaitic  manuscript,  of  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, A  and  C,  of  the  fifth,  and  F  and  G,  of 
the  ninth.  2.  The  important  cursive  manu- 
scripts, 17,  73,  181,  which  were  copied  from 
uncial  manuscripts,  probabl.y  earlier  than  anj' 
now  extant.  3.  The  Gothic,  later  Syriac,  and 
Coptic  ver.sions;  in  the  Peschito,  or  earlier 
Syriac,  it  is  uncertain  whetlier  the  reading  is 
who  (6s),  or  which  (6).  4.  The  citation  of  the 
passage  in  this  form  by  the  Fathers,  Cyril, 
Theodore  of  Mopsuestia,  Epiphanius,  Maca- 
rius,  and  Jerome.  The  preponderance  of  ex- 
ternal evidence  is  clearly  in  favor  of  who  (6s), 


as  the  true  reading:  while  on  internal  grounds 
it  is  certainly  far  easier  to  conceive  that,  in  the 
intensity  of  doctrinal  interest,  especially  in 
the  Trinitarian  controversies,  God  (fleos)  would 
be  substituted  for  who  (6s),  requiring  only  two 
slight  marks  in  the  uncial  text,  than  that  the 
opposite  change  should  be  made.  In  this  re- 
sult concur  all  the  best  critical  authorities,  as 
Griesbach,  Lachmann,  Tischendorf,  Tregelles, 
and  Westcott  and  Hort;  with  De  Wette, 
Huther,  Alford,  Ellicott,  and  Fairbairn 
among  interpreters. 


Ch.  4:  1-5.  A  Departure  from  the 
Gospel  Predicted. — 1.  The  Holy  Spirit  dis- 
tinctly predicts  a  departure  from  the  faith  in 
after  times.  (1.)  2.  The  agencies  through 
which  this  will  result  are  described  under  two 
classes:  (a)  The  superhuman  —  "seducing 
spirits  and  doctrines  of  devils"  ;  {b)  the  human 
— those  'speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy,'  described 
also  as  "having  their  conscience  seared  "  ;  the 
latter  class  being  the  medium  in  and  through 
which  the  former  exert  their  power  (1,  2).  3. 
The  characteristic  doctrines  of  these  misleading 
teachers  are  stated ;  they  ineulcate,  as  essential 
to  a  higher  sanctification,  celibacy  and  absti- 
nence from  food  which  God  has  adapted  for 
man  ;  whereas  all  such  food  is  lawful  to  believ- 
ers, since  it  is  sanctified  by  the  sanction  of 
God's  word  and  by  the  prayer  of  the  recipient 
(3-5). 

1.  Now — Kevised  Version,  better,  Btd.  In 
contrast  with  "the  mystery  of  godliness,"  the 
glorious  truth  that  the  church  is  upbearing 
before  the  world  (3  :  le),  the  apostle  now  speaks 
of  the  approach  of  "the  mystery  of  iniquity" 
(2  Thess.  2 : 7),  whose  malignant  and  destructive 
workings  were  even  now  apparent.  The  Spirit 
speaketh  expressly  —  plauily,  distinctly. 
Whether  the  reference  here  is  to  a  special- 
communication  to  the  apostle  himself,  or  to 
prophecies  uttered  through  other  inspired 
men,  is  left  uncertain.  Even  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment there  are  predictions,  as  some  suppose,  of 
a  great  apostasy  in  the  Messianic  age.  (nan.  7: 
25;  8:  ■3.25;  11  :;io.)  The  prophctic  utterances  of 
Christ,  Matt.  24  :  11-34,  in  words  of  marvel-. 


Ch.  IV.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


49 


2  Speaking    lies    in    hypocrisy;    having   their  con- I    2  seducing  spirits  anil  doctrines  of  demons,  through 
cience  seared  with  a  hot  iron  ;  the  hypocrisy  of  men  that  speak  lies,  •  branded  in 

I    3  their  own  conscience  as  witli  a  hot  iron  ;  lorbidding 

1  Or,  aeared. 


ousl^'  graphic  power,  distinctly  foretell  such  an 
event;  while  in  some  of  the  parables,  as  in 
that  of  the  wheat  and  tares  (Mau.  is)  and  in 
other  passages,  its  dark  shadow  is  plainly  visi- 
ble in  the  picture.  It  is  natural,  however,  to 
think  here  of  a  direct  communication  of  the 
Spirit  to  Paul;  and  this  is  made  the  more 
probable  from  the  constant  guidance  of  the 
Spirit  which  he  enjoyed  (Acts  i6: 6;  20:23),  and 
from  the  fact  that  in  an  earlier  epistle  (a  Thess.  2) 
he  has  unfolded  more  fully  the  great  apostasj' 
of  which  he  here  sees  the  beginnings,  and  that 
so  fully  does  the  portentous  image  of  this  com- 
ing danger  to  the  church  loom  up  before  him, 
that  tlie  thought  of  it  pervades  his  epistles. 
(Col.  2 :  8, 16-23.)  That  in  the  latter  times — 
rather,  in  later  times.  It  is  not  spoken  only 
of  the  liist  ages  of  the  Christian  Dispensation, 
but  of  after  times,  referring  to  the  times  fol- 
lowing that  in  which  the  apostle  is  speaking. 
Evidently  the  beginnings  of  the  apostasy  are 
in  the  immediate  future,  as  he  warned  the 
Ephesian  elders  in  Acts  20  :  29,  30:  "I  know 
that  after  my  departing  shall  grievous  wolves 
enter  in  among  you,  not  sparing  the  flock. 
Alsoof  j'our  own  selves  shall  men  arise,  speak- 
ing perverse  things,  to  draw  away  disciples 
after  them."  The  full  and  disastrous  culmina- 
tion of  it,  however,  belongs  to  the  closing 
period  of  the  Christian  Dispensation.  "The 
expression  'times'  ((caipoi)  or  'ages'  (aiii/e?)  in 
Eph.  2  :  7  is  itself  proof  that  the  apostles  did 
not  themselves  conceive  the  coming  of  the  end 
in  their  own  time  (icatpds).  The  prophecies 
fulfill  themselves,  not  at  once,  nor  once  only, 
but  repeatedly  and  gradually,  in  ascending 
series,  up  to  the  full  end.  Thus  our  here- 
given  prophecy  of  the  falling  away  found 
already  a  fulfillment  in  the  then  apostolic  age 
(or,  (caipos),  and  consequently  measures  are  al- 
ready enjoined  on  Timothy  against  the  im- 
pending destruction  of  the  faith.  But  also  in 
later  epochs  of  the  divine  kingdom,  this 
prophecy  fulfills  itself,  until  its  culminating 
point  ...  in  the  time  (2Thess.2:3)  immedi- 
ately preceding  the  second  appearing  of  the 
Lord."  (Beck.)  Some  shall  depart  from 
the  faith— that  is,  from  the  truths  of  the  gos- 
pel, which  are   the  objects  of  faith.     Of  tliis 


falling  away  other  apostles  also  speak.  (2  Peter 
3:3;  ijoiin2: 18, 19.)     Giviiig  hccd  to  seducing 

spirits.  They  departed  from  the  faith  through 
yielding  to  the  seductive  power  of  evil  spirits, 
whose  deceitful  influences  were  exerted 
through  false  religious  guides.  (1  Joho  4  :  1,  e.) 
And  doctrines  of  devils— or  doctrines  em- 
anating from  demons.  I'he  word  liere  is  not 
devil  (ata/SoAos),  but  demons  (Soi/otdi/ia),  a  term 
which  is  never  applied  to  Satan,  or  the  devil, 
but  in  the  New  Testament  ordinarily  desig- 
nates the  fallen  angels  of  whom  Satan  is  the 
prince.  (Matt.  9  :  si;  25  :  41.)  Scripture  connects 
them  with  the  idolatry  and  oracles  of  the  hea- 
then, as  inspiring  the  delusions  and  impieties 
of  Paganism.  (1  Oor.  10 :  12 ;  james  3 :  15.)  Perpetu- 
ally seeking  the  ruin  of  men,  they  exhibit 
their  most  terrible  physical  power  for  evil  in 
demoniacal  possession,  as  Mark  5  :  1-9,  and 
their  most  malignant  influence  over  the  soul 
in  the  errors  and  delusions  they  inspire,  and 
the  lusts  and  passions  they  inflame.  These 
ministers  of  Satan  rule  in  the  life  of  the  un- 
regenerate  world  (Eph.  2  :  2) ;  but  they  espe- 
cially antagonize  divine  truth  and  grace  in 
Christians  (Epii.6: 11, 12),  and  arc  in  direct,  ma- 
lignant opposition  to  the  Holy  Spirit — the 
Spirit  of  truth  and  holiness.  (1  John  4 :  1-3,  6.) 
Indeed,  such  is  human  life  that  ''a  man  never 
stands  isolated;  if  the  Divine  Spirit  do  not 
lead  him,  the  evil  spirit  will." 

2.  Speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy — or,  rather, 
in  the  hypocrisy  of  men  who  speak  lies — 
that  is,  the  seducing  influences  of  the  demons 
operate  on  men  in,  or  through,  hypocritical 
false  teachers.  The  hypocrisy  of  these  false 
guides  was  the  sphere  within  which  the  malig- 
nant power  of  evil  worked,  and  from  which  it 
i-ssued,  as  a  baleful,  misleading  influence,  to 
delude  and  dctroy  souls.  Tiiese  teachers  were 
not  men  of  sincere,  truth-loving  souls,  but 
wore  hypocritical ;  and  their  hypocri.sy  formed 
the  point  of  contact  between  their  souls  and 
these  demonic  powers,  and  made  them  the  me- 
dium of  Satanic  influence  upon  other  souls. 
Having  their  conscience  seared  with  a 
hot  iron — or,  branded  in  their  own  conscience 
as  v)ith  a  hot  iron.  (Revised  Version.)  The 
thought  is  not  that  their  conscience  has-becomfl 


D 


50 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  IV. 


3  Forbidding  to  marry,  (ind  commandiiig  to  abstain 
from  meats,  which  Uod  huth  created  to  be  received  with 
thanksgiviug  of  them  which  believe  and  know  the 
truth. 

4  For  every  creature  of  God  is  good,  and  nothing  to 
be  refused,  if  it  be  received  wiih  thanksgiving: 


to  marry,  inul  commandin;/  to  al)Stain  from  meats, 

which  God  treated  to  be  received  wiili  tliauksgiving 

4  by   them    that   believe  and   know   the  truth.     For 

every  creature  of  God  is  good,  and  nothing  is  to  be 


insensible,  but  that  they  stand  self-convicted, 
consciously  bearing  the  brand-marks  of  wrong 
doing.  The  ancients  used  a  hot  iron  to  brand 
the  forehead  of  a  criminal,  so  that  thenceforth 
he  might  bear,  always  and  everywhere,  the 
brand-marks  of  his  crime.  Thus  these  men, 
while  professing  to  be  guides  to  righteousness, 
had  tiieir  own  conscience  covered  with  the 
brand-marks  of  sin.  Thus  Kobinson :  ''^Branded 
in  their  own  consciences ;  having  the  marks, 
stigmata,  of  their  guilt  burnt  in  upon  their 
consciences,  that  is,  being  ever  conscious  of 
their  guilt  like  branded  criminals."  Thus, 
also,  Van  Oosterzee,  Alford,  Ellicott,  Wies- 
inger,  Fausset,  and  Fairbairn. 

3.  Forbidding  to  marry — requiring  absti- 
nence from  marriage,  professedly  as  a  means 
to  higher  sanctity.  This  was  already  a  familiar 
conception  among  the  Jews,  from  the  ascetic 
principles  of  the  Essenes  and  the  Therapeutse. 
It  might,  also,  find  support  in  a  mistaken  in- 
terpretation of  our  Lord's  language.  Matt.  19: 
10-12;. and'  also  of  Paul's,  1  Cor.  7:8,  32-34. 
This  tendency  to  depreciate  marriage,  although 
in  fundamental  opposition  to  Scripture  (Gen.  2 : 
23,24;  icor.9:5;  Heb.  13:4),  was  already  present 
in  the  Ephesian  Church  ;  and  it  afterward 
spread  through  all  the  churches,  first  in  the 
Gnostic  asceticism  of  the  earlier  Christian  cen- 
turies, and  then  in  the  monasticism  and  the 
celibacy  of  the  clergy  in  the  Komish  Church. 
Tiie  Council  of  Trent,  in  its  tenth  article  on 
"marriage,"  says:  "Whoever  shall  say  that 
the  married  state  is  to  be  preferred  to  a  state 
of  virginity,  or  celibacy,  and  that  it  is  not 
better  and  more  blessed  to  remain  in  virginity, 
or  celibacy,  than  to  be  joined  in  marriage  ;  let 
him  be  accursed!  "  Commanding  to  abstain 
from  meats.  'Commanding'  is  not  expressed 
in  the  Greek,  but  is  implied  in  the  preceding 
participle.  They  forbade  certain  kinds  of  food, 
and  perhaps  all  food  at  certain  seasons.  The 
tendency  to  discriminate  in  food  may  have  had 
its  root  in  the  Jewish  distinction  between  clean 
and  unclean  animals,  a  view  made  probable 
by  Col.  2  :  IG,  where  the  errorists  are  plainly 
Jews.  This  distinction  between  meats  Chris- 
tianity had  abolished.      (Acts  10 :  15  ;  Col.  2:14-17;  Rom. 


14 :  14, 20.)  But  the  ascetisni  here  described  was, 
doubtless,  also  largely  inspired  by  that  Alex- 
andrian and  Asiatic  pliilosophy,  from  which, 
when  combined  with  Christianity,  Gno.sticism 
was  at  a  later  period  developed,  in  one  form  of 
which,  that  of  the  Encratites,  or  Purists,  mar- 
riage and  animal  food  were  forbidden.  In  tlie 
orthodox  churches  themselves,  also,  the  ten- 
dency very  early  arose  to  regard  celibacy  as  a 
superior  spiritual  condition,  and  abstinence 
from  food  as  a  special  virtue.  Which  God 
hath  created  to  be  received  with  thanks- 
giving. In  that  God  created  food  adapted  for 
man,  he  thereby  showed  that  it  was  intended 
for  nnin ;  but  only  as  it  is  received  with  a 
grateful  recognition  of  God  as  its  Author  and 
Giver.  Of  them  Avhich  believe  and  knoAV 
(or,  acknowledge)  the  truth.  This  defines 
those  whom  chiefly  God  had  in  view  in  creat- 
ing food  ;  it  was  his  own  people.  The  true  end 
in  the  creation  of  food  was  to  sustain  and  ble?s 
the  spiritual  as  well  as  the  bodily  life;  only 
those,  therefore,  who  partake  of  food  in  faith, 
with  adoring  thanksgiving  to  God,  receive  its 
actual  fullness  of  blessing,  since  in  them  alone 
is  the  purpose  of  its  creation  fulfilled.  So  far, 
therefore,  from  its  being  forbidden  to  them,  it 
is  for  them  only,  in  the  highest  sense,  that  it  is 
intended.  "  As  if  those  that  wanted  faith  and 
saving  knowledge,  did  but  usurp  the  bread 
they  eat.  And,  indeed,  it  is  certain  that  the 
wicked  have  no  right  to  the  creatures  of  God 
in  such  ample  sort  as  the  godly  have."  (San- 
derson.) "Properly  speaking,  God  has  ap- 
pointed to  his  children  alone  the  whole  world 
and  all  that  is  in  the  world.  For  this  reason, 
they  are  called  the  heirs  of  the  world." 
(Cahin.) 

4.  For  every  creature  of  God  is  good — 
that  is,  everything  created  by  God  as  food.  It 
is  in  itself  good,  since  it  was  nntde  by  him, 
and  was  pronounced  by  him  at  the  creation 
"  very  good  ''  (Gen.  1 :3i) ;  heiice  the  prohibition 
of  its  use  for  the  purpose  intended  by  him  is 
wrong  and  evil,  and  especinlly  so  in  the  case 
of  those  who  eat  with  a  thankful  recognition 
of  it  as  God's  gift.  And  nothing  to  be  re- 
fused—of the  things  of  God  made  for  food, 


Cii.  IV.] 


I.  TIMOTHY, 


51 


5  For  it  is  sanctified  by  the  word  of  God  and  prayer. 


5  rejected,  if  it  be  received  with  thanksgiving;  for  it 
is  sanctified  through  ihe  word  of  (iod  and  prayer. 


'"so  that  there  is  no  sin  in  the  use  of  them, 
nor  any  religion  in  the  forbearing  of  them,  or 
abstaining  from  them;  this  liberty  was  given 
us  by  God,  and  restored  by  Christ."  (Burkitt. ) 
If  it  be  received  with  thanksgiving.  See 
Romans  14  :  6.  A  thing  in  itself  good  may 
fail  of  its  end,  or  even  prove  a  curse,  when  re- 
ceived with  an  evil  mind;  and  food  only 
attains  its  true  end  when  it  awakens  the  thank- 
fulness of  a  believing,  adoring  heart. 

5.  For  it  is  sanctified — hallowed,  "fit  for 
thegodly  use  of  Christian  men."  (Alford.)  By 
the  word  of  God  — that  is,  its  use  is  warranted 
by  the  word  of  God.  It  is  shown  to  be  divinely 
intended  for  man,  not  only  by  the  Creator's 
adaptation  of  it  to  him,  but  also  by  direct  sanc- 
tion of  Scripture.  See  Gen.  1  :  29;  9:  3,  4. 
Others,  as  Alford,  Ellicott,  "Wiesinger,  under- 
stand "the  word  of  God"  here  as  "Scripture 
language,  used  in  the  form  of  the  blessing 
before  meals,  which  thus  hallowed  the  food." 
And  prayer — that  the  food  may  be  sanctified 
for  use.  The  custom  of  asking  a  blessing 
before  meals,  in  itself  so  suitable,  is  enforced 
by  our  Lord's  example.  (Mark 8 : 6;  u: 22)  It 
was  evidently  common  among  the  primitive 

Christians.       (Aots27:35;  Eoni.  14:6;  1  Cor.  10:30;  14:1B.) 

"It  is  a  beastly  way  of  eating,  when  we  sit 
down  at  table  without  any  prayer,  and,  when 
we  have  eaten  to  the  full,  depart  in  utter  for- 
getfulness  of  God."  (Calvin.)  The  beautiful 
formula  of  blessing  given  in  the  Apostolical 
Constitutions,  VII.  19,  illustrates  the  ancient 
practice  :  "  Blessed  be  thou,  O  Lord,  who  hast 
fed  me  from  my  youth,  who  givest  food  to  all 
flesh.  Fill  thou  our  hearts  with  joy  and  glad- 
ness, tiiat,  .having  always  what  sufficeth,  we 
may  abound  unto  all  good  works,  in  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord,  through  whom  be  unto  thee 
honor,  glory,  and  power,  forever  and  ever. 
Amen."  The  thought  of  the  apostle,  then, 
is:  Food,  having  been  formed  by  the  Creator 
for  man,  and  in  Scripture  expressly  given 
him,  should  not  be  forbidden  to  man ;  and 
least  of  all  to  the  Christian,  who  alone  uses  it 
according  to  its  original  purpose,  and  who 
thus  alone  finds  in  it  the  spiritual,  as  well  as 
the  material,  good  designed.  He  thus  shows 
that  asceticism  is  everywhere  unnatural,  but 
most  of  all  in  the  Christian  Church. 
The  general  argument  of  the  passage  maybe 


thus  stated:  God,  when  speaking  in  the  two 
spheresof  nature  and  religion,  does  notcontra- 
dict  himself.  In  the  very  constitution  of  the 
sexes,  he  has  ordained  marriage ;  and  in  the  cre- 
ation of  food  adapted  to  man's  needs,  he  has  ap- 
pointed it  for  man's  use.  To  these  fundamen- 
tal laws  thus  ordained  in  nature,  he  does  not 
oppose  other  and  contrary  ones  in  religion. 
He  does  not  contradict  himself;  nature  and 
religion,  therefore,  as  they  both  come  from 
him,  cannot,  in  their  fundamental  require- 
ments, he  opposed.  Then  the  doctrine,  as 
taught  by  these  errorists,  that  the  true  and 
highest  piety  can  be  attained  only  by  absti- 
nence from  marriage  and  food,  must  be  essen- 
tially false,  and  all  systems  of  asceticism,  by 
the  fact  that  they  thus  contravene  great  na- 
tural laws  of  God,  are  clearly  proved  as  not 
from  him.  They  are  essentially  false  and 
evil,  as,  indeed,  all  history  shows,  in  the  fear- 
ful and  wide-spread  immorality'  to  which  they 
have  always  and  inevitably  tended. 

It  is  evident,  however,  that  this  is  not  in- 
consistent with  those  passages  in  which  fasting, 
and  even  abstinence  from  marriage,are  encour- 
aged ;  for  these  are  plainly  not  rules  intended 
for  the  ordinary  conditions  of  life,  but  applic- 
able only  in  special  and  exceptional  circum- 
stances. Thus  fasting  is  presented,  not  as  an 
habitual,  but  as  an  occasional  duty,  for  special 

ends  (Matt.  6:  16,  17  ;  17  :  21 ;  Mark  2:  20;  Acts  13  :  2,  3)  •    aiUl 

in  like  manner,  abstinence  from  marriage.  (Matt. 
19:12;  1  Cor.  7 ; 8, 26, 27.)  As  in  abnormal  conditions 
of  the  body,  the  physician  prescribes  absti- 
nence, so  in  abnormal  conditions  of  the  soul  or 
of  the  Church,  Scripture  in  like  manner  pre- 
scribes it;  but  in  neither  case  could  the  pre- 
scription be  made  a  rule  in  the  normal  condi- 
tions of  life  without  evil  result.  "If  tempor- 
ary fasting  should  dispose  and  enable  one  to 
fight  more  successfully  against  the  lusts  of  the 
flesh,  or  if  by  abstaining  from  marriage  one 
could,  in  particular  spheres  of  labor,  or  in  cer- 
tain conjunctures  of  the  church's  history  more 
effectually  serve  the  interests  of  the  gospel 
than  otherwise,  then  the  higher  principles  of 
that  gospel,  the  nobler  ends  of  a  Christian  call- 
ing, will  undoubtedly  justify  the  restraint  or 
the  .sacrifice This  is  an  entirely  differ- 
ent thing  from  that  morbid  and  mawkish  a.'ice- 
ticism,  which,  in  attempting  to  soar  above  the 


52 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  IV. 


6  If  thou  put  the  brethren  in  remembrance  of  these 
things,  thuii  Shalt  be  a  good  luiuister  of  Jesus  Christ, 
nourisned  up  in  the  words  of  faith  and  of  good  doctrine, 
whereunto  thou  hast  attained. 

7  But  refuse  prolane  and  old  wives'  fables,  and  exer- 
cise thyself  rather  unto  godline.-is. 

8  For  bodily  exercise  protiteih  little :  but  godliness  is 


6  If  thou  put  the  brethren  in  mind  of  these  things, 
thou  shall  be  a  good  minister  of  Christ  Jesus, 
nourished  in  the  words  of  the  faith,  and  of  the  good 

7  doctrine  which   thou   hast  followeti   uuiil  iwir:  but 
S  refuse  profane  and  old  wives'  fables.    And  exercise 

thy  sell  unto  godliness:  tor  bodily  exercise  is  profit- 


divinely  appointed  order  and  constitution  of 
things,  imputes  a  character  of  evil  to  what  is 
in  itself  good,  and  hence  withdraws  men  from 
those  social  environments  which,  as  a  rule, 
are  necessary  to  the  well-being  of  society,  and 
to  the  full-orbed  completeness  of  Christian 
character."     (Fairbairn.) 

6-10.  Timothy  is  to  Shun  Foolish  and 
Superstitious  Fables,  and  Cultivate 
Practical  Piety  Kather  than  Bodily 
Austerities. — 1.  In  putting  the  church  on 
their  guard  against  this  impending  danger  of 
defection  from  the  faith,  he  will  act  the  part 
of  a  good  minister  of  Christ;  but  trifling  and 
foolish  fables  he  must  shun,  and  discipline 
himself  rather  unto  godliness,  since  ascetic, 
bodily  discipline  is  profitable  for  little,  while 
godliness  is  profitable  for  all  things,  seeing 
it  has  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is  and  of 
that  which  is  to  come.  (6-8.)  2.  This  promise 
is  sure,  and  is  worthy  of  all  acceptation  ;  for 
it  is  in  view  of  it  the  apostles  and  their  fellow- 
laborers  are  enduring  toil  and  conflict,  their 
hopeof  its  fulfillment  being  fixed  on  the  living 
God,  who  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men,  especially 
of  those  who  believe.     (9-10.) 

6.  If  thou  put  the  brethren  in  remem- 
brance of  these  things — or,  suggesting  these 
things  to  the  hrethren.  He  is  to  put  them  on 
tlieir  guard,  and  keep  them  on  their  guard, 
against  this  danger  of  defection  from  the  faith, 
by  instructing  and  warning  them.  Thou 
Shalt  be  a  good  minister  of  Christ  Jesus 
-—^vilt  he,  will  act  as.  Such  warning  and  in- 
struction will  show  thee  to  be  a  good  minister 
of  Christ.  Nourished  up  in  (or,  nourishing 
thyself  in ;  or,  by  means  of)  the  words  of 
faith  (or,  of  the  faith) — that  is,  of  the  doc 
trines  of  the  gospel.  "Ever  training  thyself 
in  the  words  of  the  faitii."  (Alford.)  He 
had  from  childhood  been  carefully  instructed 
in  the  truths  of  religion.  (2Tim.i:5;  3:  is.)  He 
had  been  trained  in  the  truths  of  the  gospel 
by  Paul  himself  (2  Tim. 2: is.)  The  apostle 
would  have  him  now  himself  continue  this 
training,  and  by  guarding  the  church  against 
error,  act  as  befits  one  thus  instructed.     And 


of  good  doctrine  (or,  of  the  good  instruction) 
whereunto  thou  hast  attained  (rather, 
which  thou  hast  diligently  followed  ;  or,  hast 
closely  followed).  He  had  received  good  in- 
struction, and,  with  thorough  understanding 
of  it,  had  thus  far  carefully  followed  it.  The 
word  here  rendered  diligently  follov;ed  is 
translated  in  Luke  1  :  3,  ''having  had  perfect 
understanding,"  and  2  Tim.  3: 10,  "hast  fully 
known." 

7.  But  refuse  profane  and  old  wives' 
fables — shun,  or,  excuse  thyself  from.  Have 
nothing  to  do  with,  avoid,  the  morttlly  fruit- 
less and  silly  fictions  which  are  in  circulation. 
These  abounded  in  the  heathen  mythologies 
and  in  the  Jewish  traditions;  and  the  ten- 
dency, it  seems,  wtts  already  present  to  connect 
such  mythical  legends  with  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, especially  as  recommending  asceticism 
by  fables  exalting  its  miraculous  results.  They 
were  'profane,'  as  derogatory  to  God  and  re- 
ligion; they  were  'old  wives'  fables,'  in  that 
they  were  senseless,  silly,  absurd — the  mere 
croning  of  women  who  had  reached  the  anility 
of  second  childhood.  And  exercise  thyself 
rather  unto  godliness.  As  the  athlete  trains 
his  body,  so  do  thou,  with  strenuous  effort,  train 
thyself  to  true  piety  in  heart  and  life.  Instead 
of  concerning  thyself  with  such  fables,  seek 
personal  holiness  and  the  virtues  of  a  life  of 
practical  godliness.  See  the  imagery  vividly 
depicted  (1  Cor.9: 24-27),  and  the  injunction  reiter- 
ated with  added  force.    (6:11,12;  21101.2:22,23;  Heb. 

5:14;  12:11.) 

8.  For  bodily  exercise — the  practice  of 
asceticism,  in  the  mortification  of  the  body,  as 
in  abstinence  from  marriage  and  food,  in  praise 
of  which,  doubtless,  these  fables  were  related. 
Thus  Ambrose,  Calvin,  Grotius,  Neander, 
Wiesinger,  Barnes,  and  Ellicott.  Others, 
however,  understand  it  literally  of  athletic 
training  in  the  gymnasium,  here  contrasted 
with  spiritual  tniining  in  practical  godliness. 
The  former  seems  to  me  to  be  preferred,  as,  on 
the  whole,  better  suited  to  the  general  context, 
in  which  asceticism  is  the  chief  subject,  and  its 
undue   exaltation  is  deprecated.      Profiteth 


Ch.  IV.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


53 


profitable  iiiito  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life 
thai  now  is,  and  of^thal  w  liioh  is  lo  come. 

9  This  is  a  failhtul  saj'ing,  and  worthy  of  all  accepta- 
tion. 

10  For  therefore  we  both  labour  and  sutler  reproach, 
because  we  trust  in  the  living  God,  who  is  the  Saviour 
ol'  all  men,  specially  of  those  that  believe. 


able  '  for  a  little;  but  godliness  is  profitable  for  ;ill 
things,  having  promise  of  the  lite  which  now  i>,  and 
9  of  tliai  which  is  to  come.  Faithful  is  the  saving, 
10  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  l-or  to  this  end  we 
labour  and  strive,  because  we  have  our  hope  set  ou 
the    Living    God,   who   is   the  Saviour  of   all   men, 


1  Or,  /or  little. 


little — or,  is  profitable  for  little,  is  of  little  or 
liniited  value  ;  for  little  stands  in  contrast  with 
'  unto  all  tilings,'  below.  Fasting  and  the  de- 
nial of  bodily  gratification  have  a  proper  pltice 
and  valtie;  for  there  are  occasions  when  Chris- 
tians ought  to  fast  and  mortify  tlie  body  (iiatt.  i-.-i-, 

6:17;    9 :  15  ;    17:21;    Acts  13  :  2,  3 ;    14  :  23  ;    1  Cor.  7:5);    but 

these  occasions  are  e.xceptional,  and  the  value 
of  such  austerities  is  small,  iiftecting  the  well 
being  only  within  a  narrow  limit.  Possibly 
the  exhtntation  here,  as  also  in  5  :  23,  may 
suggest  that  Timothy  himself  had  tendencies 
to  asceticisin  which  tlie  apostle  deemed  excess- 
ive. But  godliness — piety  springing  from 
faith,  practical  religion  in  heart  and  life — is 
profitable  unto  all  things— for  the  entire 
well-being,  bodily  and  spiritual,  temporal  and 
eternal.  It  tends  to  the  welfare  of  soul  as  well 
as  body,  of  the  whole  being  in  every  possible 
relation  and  condition,  for  eternit3'  as  well  as 
time.  Having  (or,  seeing  it  has)  promise 
of  the  life  that  now  is — the  present  life  on 
earth.  Religion  alone  secures  a  true  well- 
being  in  this  life  and  obtains  life's  real  good, 
since  it  places  the  man  in  right  relations  to 
God  and  the  world,  and  fits  him  for  the  true 
enjo3'ment  of  all  earthly  good.  Hence  the 
richest  promises  of  earthly  blessing  are  made 
to  Christians.  See  Deut.  4  :  40;  5:  33;  1  Kings 
3:  7-13;  Psalms  23  :  37;  84  :  11 ;  112;  Isa. 
33  :  16 ;  46  :  4 ;  Matt.  6  :  33 ;  Mark  10  :  29,  30; 
Eom.  8  :  28;  1  Cor.  3  :  21,  22;  Eph.  6  :  2,  3; 
Phil.  4  :  19.  They  alone  extract  the  real  good 
of  the  present  life;  and  to  them  all  needful 
blessings  are  assured  throughout  its  manifold 
phases  of  youth  and  age,  health  and  sickness, 
joy  and  sorrow,  honor  and  dishonor,  life  and 
death.  And  of  that  which  is  to  come.  It 
insures  the  highest  well-being,  the  richest  good, 
of  all  the  future,  eternal  life.  Godliness  has 
the  promise  of  both  worlds,  assuring  the  highest 
welfare,  bodily  and  mental,  monil  and  spir- 
itual. (.ioiin3:i6;  14:2.  s;  Rev.  2:10.)  Others,  how- 
ever, limit  the  promise  to  spiritual,  eternal 
life,  which  already  exists  in  the  soul  (Jotin5:24), 
and  regard  it  as  assuring  to  the  believer  the 


richest  experiences  of  that  life  here  and  here- 
after. "  It  is  the  salvation-life,  embracing 
time  and  eternity,  with  the  enjoyment  of  divine 
grace  in  its  spiritual  forces  and  blessings." 
(Beck.) 

9.  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy 
of  all  acceptation — referring  to  the  promise 
attached  to  godliness.  (i:i5.)  Thtit  promise  of 
life  in  its  highest  well-being,  here  and  here- 
after, is  sure,  and  is  worthy  of  all  acceptation. 

10.  For  therefore — that  is,  in  vietv  of,  in- 
spired by,  this  promise — we  both  labour  and 
suffer  reproach — or,  we  toil  and  strive.  As 
a  confirmation  of  the  certainty  of  this  promise, 
he  shows  that  it  is  in  view  of  this  tlie  apostles 
and  their  fellow-workers  are  toiling  and  striv- 
ing. They  were  enduring  the  labors  and 
conflicts  they  met,  trusting  in  the  certain  ful- 
fillment of  this  great  promise.  Strive  is  the 
reading  in  most  of  the  best  manuscripts,  as  the 
Sinaitic,  Alexandrian,  and  Ephraim;  many 
of  the  expositors,  however,  decide  for  'sufl^er 
reproach,'  the  reading  of  the  Common  Ver- 
sion. Because  we  trust  in  {have  fixed  our 
hope  on)  the  living  God— or,  on  God  as  the 
living  God.  This  is  the  ground  of  their  con- 
fidence respecting  the  fulfillment  of  the  prom- 
ise; their  hope  is  not  fixed  on  the  dead  idols 
of  heathenism,  but  on  the  true  and  living 
God,  who  is  himself  life  and  the  Fountain  of 
life,  and  who  is,  therefore,  able  to  fulfill  his 
word.  "  It  was  because  they  had  hoped  upon 
the  living  God  they  could  so  confidently  reckon 
on  an  endless  heritage  of  peaceful  and  blessed 
life,  and  so  willingly  submit  to  all  the  priva- 
tions and  toils  that  might  meet  them  in  pursuit 
of  it;  for  he  who  is  him.self  the  Living  One, 
having  the  very  fountain  of  life  in  perpetual 
freshness  and  inexhaustible  suflRciency,  is,  in 
this  case,  the  surety  and  promise."  (Fair- 
bairn.)  Who  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men. 
God  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men:  1.  As  the 
Creator,'Pre8erver,  and  Benefactor  of  all  men. 

(jot>.  7:20;  Matt.  5  :  45  ;  Acts  17  :  24-28.)     He  preserves  and 

blesses  the  lives  of  all  men  in  his  beneficent, 
providential  administration.    2.  As  the  Author 


54 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  IV. 


11  These  things  command  and  teach. 

12  Let  no  man  despise  thy  youth;  but  be  thou  an 
example  of  the  believers  in  word,  iu  conversation,  in 
charily,  in  spirit,  in  faith,  in  purity. 


11  specially  of  them  that  believe.    The.se  things  com- 

12  maud  and  teach.  Let  no  man  despise  thy  youth ; 
but  be  thou  an  ensample  to  them  that  believe,  in 
word,  iu  manner  of  life,  in  love,  in  faith,  in  puniy. 


of  salvation  for  all  men,  a  salvation  ample  for 

all    and    Otfered    to    all.        (2  :  4-6  ;  Mark  16  :  is,  16 ;  John 

S:i6: 2Peter3-9.)  Here  the  emphasis  is  on  the 
first  of  these  senses:  God  is  the  Preserver  and 
Benefactor  of  all  men.  Specially  of  those 
that  believe.  While  he  is  the  Saviour  of  all, 
he  is  the  Saviour,  in  an  especial  sense,  of  be- 
lievers as  his  redeemed  people.  This  may 
refer :  1.  To  that  temporal  salvation  which 
the  God-man,  now  exalted  on  the  throne  of 
the  universe  as  Head  over  all  things  for  his 
church,  secures  for  his  redeemed  pet)ple,  caus- 
ing all  things  to  work  together  for  their  good 
(Rom.  8: 28),  and  employing  "all  power  in  heaven 
and  in  earth  "  to  defend  and  support  and  bless 
them  even  in  this  earthly  life.  There  is  a 
special  providence  exercised  over  every  believ- 
ing soul  by  virtue  of  its  relation   to  Christ. 

(2  Kiuga  6  :  16,  17  ;  Ps.  34  :  7, 10  ;  Luke  12  :  7  ;  Acts  18 :  9, 10 ;  26 :  17 ; 

2  Tim. 4: 17, 18.)  Or  2.  To  that  eternal  salvation 
which,  in  the  amplitude  of  its  provision,  is 
provided  for  all  and  otfered  to  all,  but  which, 
by  God's  special  grace,  is  made  effectual  for 
believers  in  the  actual  deliverance  from  wrath 
and  sin,  and  the  attainment  of  everla.sting  life. 
"God  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men  in  will;  and 
he  is  the  Saviour  of  all  who  believe,  not  only 
in  will,  but  also  in  effect.'^  (Wordsworth.) 
Of  believe'-s,  Christ  said:  "I  give  unto  them 
eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never  perish." 
(John  10:28.)  Alford  Well  expresses  the  general 
force  of  the  reasoning:  "  If  God  be  thus  will- 
ing for  all  to  be  saved,  how  much  more  shall 
lie  save  them  that  put  tlieir  trust  in  him  ?  " 

11-16.  Admonitions  to  Personal  Holi- 
ness AND  Ministerial  Fidelity. — 1.  These 
things  Timothy  is  to  teach  and  enjoin ;  but 
while  so  doing,  he  is  to  show  in  himself  a 
maturity  of  understanding  and  an  example  of 
Christian  character  and  life,  such  that  none 
shall  find  occasion  to  despise  his  youth.  (11, 12.) 
2.  During  the  absence  of  the  apostle  he  is  to 
conduct  the  public  services  of  the  Chri-stian 
assembly,  and  in  this  work  make  full  use  of 
the  gift  received  through  prophetic  revelation 
and  recognized  as  in  him  at  his  ordination. 
(13,  14.)  3.  He  is  to  be  wholly  absorbed  in 
his  work,  so  that  his  growth  in  qualification 
for  it  ma3'  be  apparent  to  all ;  and  he  is  assured 


that,  in  such  faithful  performance  of  the  duties 
of  his  office,  he  will  promote  alike  his  own  sal- 
vation and  the  salvation  of  those  who  hear 
him.     (15,  16.) 

11.  These  thing^s  command  and  teach — 
the  things  just  mentioned  concerning  ascetic 
austerities  and  the  supreme  value  of  godliness, 
as  having  promise  of  the  life  now  and  here- 
after. 

13.  Let  no  man  despise  thy  yonth — give 
no  one  occasion  to  despise  thee  on  account  of 
thy  youth.  "  Let  the  gravity  of  thy  life  sup- 
ply the  want  of  years."  (Chrysostom.)  If 
Timothy  was  twenty  years  old  when  Paul 
took  him  as  an  assistant  at  Lystra,  A.  D.  51,  he 
was  now,  A.  D.  66,  about  thirty -five  or  six,  a 
very  young  man  compared  with  Paul,  whose 
apostolic  authority  he  was  temporarily  repre- 
senting in  the  important  church  at  Ephesus, 
and  especially  as  coinj)ared  with  the  presby- 
ters and  other  officers,  who  had  doubtless 
been  chosen,  as  was  usual,  from  the  more 
aged  members,  but  whom  he  was  called  to 
instruct,  and  probably  in  some  in.=tances  to 
rebuke.  (5  =  i)  Possibly  his  comparative  youth 
had  elsewhere  tended  to  his  di.<paragement, 
and  it  was  the  more  important  that,  in  his 
present  responsible  post,  he  give  no  occasion 
for  it  in  his  public  work  and  conduct,  (i  Cor. 
16  :  11.)  But  be  thou  an  example  of  the 
believers — or,  prove  thyself  a  pattern.,  a 
model.  The  danger  arising  from  his  compara- 
tive youth,  he  is  to  avert  by  presenting  in  him- 
self a  model  of  sound  understanding  and 
Cliristian  character,  such  as  would  command 
respect  for  him  notwithstanding  his  j-outh. 
This  is  a  first  duty  in  the  minister;  in  under- 
standing, character,  and  life  he  is  to  be  a  safe 
model  for  his  people.  On  this  will  depend  the 
strength  of  his  pastoral  authority,  and  the 
weight  of  his  pulpit  instruction.  Compare 
Titus  2  :  7,  8;  Phil.  8  :  17 ;  2  Thess.  3  :  9;  1 
Peter  5:3.  In  word — in  discourse,  whether 
public  or  private ;  careful  in  speech.  In  con- 
versation— or,  conduct ;  in  deportment,  be- 
havior, course  of  life.  In  charity — or,  love; 
love  to  God,  to  the  brethren,  and  to  all  men; 
his  life  is  to  be  insi)irod  by,  and  insphered  in, 
love.     In  faith— firm  confidence  in,  and  ad- 


Ch.  IV.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


55 


13  Till  I  come,  give  altendance  to  reading,  to  exhor- 
tation, to  doctrine. 

14  Neglect  not  the  gift  that  is  in  thee,  which  was 


i;{  Till  I  come,  give  heed  to  reading,  to  exhortation, 
14  to  teaching.    Neglect   not  the  gift  that  is  in  thee, 


herence  to,  God  and  his  word,  shown  in  his 
teaching,  his  spirit,  and  his  life.  In  tlie  first 
couplet,  in  word  fitul  conduct,  tiie  apostle  has 
sec  forth  the  exterior  life ;  in  the  second,  in 
love  ami  faitk^  tlie  interior  life,  as  these  are 
the  regnant,  inward,  impulsive  forces  in  true 
living.  In  purity— in  holiness,  moral  purity. 
"Simplicity  of  holy  motive  followed  out  in 
consistency  of  holy  action."  (Alford. )  The 
word  doubtless  includes  chastity,  purity  of 
heart  and  conduct  in  relation  to  the  other  sex, 
but  it  is  of  wider  scope,  denoting  moral  purity 
in  all  the  aflections  and  relations;  and  here  it 
signifies  the  spiritual  atmosphere  in  which  the 
whole  life  moves,  singleness  of  moral  purpose, 
elevation  of  moral  thinking  and  feeling.  As 
the  minister's  position  is  necessarily  conspicu- 
*ous,  he  is  to  be  a  shining  example,  a  trans- 
parent, pure  man,  illustrating  in  himself  the 
excellence  and  power  of  religion.  The  words 
'in  spirit,'  inserted  in  the  Common  Version, 
are  not  found  in  the  best  MSS.,  and  are  now 
rejected  as  not  genuine  by  all  authorities. 

13.  Till  I  come.  Timothy,  then,  was  not 
"bishop  of  Ephesus,"  but  was  only  tilling 
temporarily  the  apostle's  place  there  in  the 
general  supervision,  till  Paul  himself  should 
return,  (i :  s;  s  r  u.)  No  hint  is  given  in 
Scripture  that  he  filled  any  permanent  office 
in  that  or  any  other  city;  but  the  reverse  is 
clearly  implied.  The  work  he  was  performing 
there  is  expressly  called  that  of  an  evangelist, 
and  soon  after  he  is  summoned  by  Paul  to 
Rome.  (••!  Tim.  4 :  5,  9.)  He  nowhere  appears  in 
any  other  character  than  as  an  evangelist,  as- 
sisting the  apostle  in  his  itinerant  work.  That 
lie  was  ever  bishop  of  Ephesus  has  no  support 
in  Scripture,  and  rests  only  on  a  very  weak 
tradition.  iii\e  attendance  to  (the)  read- 
ing— that  is,  as  the  article  in  the  Greek  indi- 
cates, the  public  reading  of  the  Scriptures  in 
the  Christian  assembly.  This  had  always 
formed  an  important  part  of  synagogue  wor- 
ship (Lnke  «  :  16,  17;  Acts  U  :  15),  and  it  WaS  from  the 

first  adopted  as  a  part  of  the  public  service  in 
Christian  churches.  It  is  probable  thiit  al- 
ready some  of  the  New  Testament  writings 
had  a  place  among  the  Scriptures  thus  read. 
See  Col.  4  :  16;  1  Thess.  5  :  21,  27;  2  Peter  3  : 
15,  16;  Rev.  1:3.     At  the  date  of  this  Epistle, 


A.  D.  66,  First  and  Second  Thessalonians  had 
been  written  thirtfen  years;  Galatians,  ten; 
First  and  Second  Corinthians,  nine;  Romans, 
eight;  Colossians,  Ephesians,  Philippians, 
Philemon,  and  Hebrews,  three;  while  the 
Synoptic  Gospels  and  the  Acts,  with  the  Epis- 
tles of  James,  Peter,  and  Jude,  were  probably 
already  widely  copied  and  circulated.  Copies 
of  most  of  tiiese  would  very  early  find  their 
way  to  so  great  a  centre  as  Ephesus,  and  would 
there  meet  a  reverent  reception,  as  the  utter- 
ances of  inspired  men.  To  (the)  exhorta- 
tion— referring  to  that  form  of  public  address 
which  is  specially  intended  to  excite  the  feel- 
ings and  impel  to  action.  To  (the)  doctrine 
— the  public  instruction,  in  which  the  purpose 
is  to  enlighten  the  understanding  by  reasoning, 
either  in  unfolding  and  establishing  truth,  or 
in  exposing  and  refuting  error.  Both  exhorta- 
tion and  teaching  are  mentioned  as  charinms 
in  ordinary  exercise  in  the  church.  (Rom.  12:7,8.) 
Evidently  the  Scriptures  read,  as  furnishuig 
the  true  incentives  to  Christian  action  and  the 
materials  of  Christian  knowledge,  formed  the 
basis  of  exhortation  to  duty  and  of  instruction 
in  truth;  and  the  three  Words,  'reading,'  'ex- 
hortation.' 'doctrine'  or  teaching,  designated 
the  chief  parts  of  the  public  service  with 
which  Timothy  was  concerned. 

14.  Neglect  not  the  gift  that  is  in  thee 
— "do  not  leave  unexercised  the  gift,"  but  use 
it  in  thy  public  work  in  the  church,  in  the 
reading,  the  exhortation,  the  teaching.  Gift 
(xapKTfia)  is  used  seventeen  times  in  the  New 
Testiiment,  and  has  the  following  senses: 
1.  Divine  grace  in  salvation.  (Eom.  5: 15, 16;  6:23; 
11  :  29.)  2.  Divine  grace  in  deliverance  from 
jicril.  (2  Cor.  1:11.)  3.  Intellectual  and  spir- 
itual gifts,  sometimes  natural  and  ordinary 
(Rom.  1 :  11;  1  Cor. 7:7:  1  Peter 4: 10),  sometimes  extra- 
ordinary, either  natural  gifts  specially  en- 
larged and  exalted  bj'  the  Spirit,  or  wholly 
supernatural,  as  the  gift  of  miracles,  (icor.  i: 
7;  12:4, 9. 28, 30, 31.)  4.  The  gift  for  the  ministry. 
(2  Tim.  1:6.)  Here  the  obvious  reference,  re- 
quired by  the  context,  is  to  the  gift  posse.ssed 
by  Timothy  for  his  public  work,  as  connected 
with  the  reading,  the  exhortation,  the  teach- 
ing, wherem  he  is  exhorted  to  employ  his  gift. 
There  is  no  hint  that  this  gift  was  other  than 


56 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  IV. 


given    thee  by   prophecy,   with   the  laying  on  of  the 
hands  ol  the  presl>ytery. 

I.'i  Meditate  upon  these  things  ;  give  thyself  wholly  to 
them  ;  that  thy  prutiliug  may  appear  to  all. 


which  was  given  thee  by  prophecy,  with  the  lay- 
15  ing  on  of  the  bauds  of  the  presbytery.     Be  dili- 
gent in  these  tliiugs;  give  thysell  wholly  to  them; 
I  16  that  thy  progress  may  be  manifest  unto  all.    Take 


natural,  such  as  "the  brethren  at  Lystra  and 
Ic'onium "  had  already  perceived  in  him, 
when  they  com  mended  him  to  Paul  as  a  fitting 
assistant  in  his  missionary  work  (Acts  i6:i-3) ; 
although  it  is  not  improbable  that,  by  the  im- 
position of  the  apostle's  hands  at  his  ordina- 
tion, this  gift  was  enlarged  and  exalted  by  the 
special  influences  of  tlie  Holy  Spirit  then  re- 
ceived. This  gift,  or  charism,  for  the  evan- 
gelist's work  is  compared  (^  Tim.  !:6)  to  a  holy 
spark,  or  flame,  kindled  on  the  soul  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  which,  like  the  flame  on  the 
ancient  altar,  must  never  go  out,  but  be  kept 
ever  burning  by  constant  use;  "stir  up," 
rekindle  ''thti  gift  of  God."  That  this  was 
some  invisible  gift,  or  secret  virtue,  trickling 
from  the  apostolic  fingers,  to  be  transmitted  in 
like  nuiiiner  through  the  ages  by  successive 
episcopal  ordinations,  as  .lomething  essential  to 
a  valid  ministry,  is  a  grotesque  assumption, 
belonging  to  the  realm  rather  of  fable  than  of 
fact,  and  so  utterly  without  basis  in  Scripture, 
here  or  elsewhere,  as  to  find  no  place  in  sober 
exeges).s.  Which  was  given  thee  by  proph- 
ecy— referring  to  some  prophecy,  uttered  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  perhaps  through  prophets  at 
Lystra  and  Iconium  (i :  is;  Acts  3 :  i-s;  i6: 2),  de- 
signating Timothy  to  the  work  of  the  ministry 
and  predicting  his  distinguished  success  in  it. 
Probably  this  designation  by  the  Spirit  led  to 
his  ordination,  and  the  gift,  which  had  already 
been  discerned  in  him,  was  on  that  occasion 
enlarged  and  exalted  into  a  charism,  or  spir- 
itual gift,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  imparted  through 
the  laying  on  of  an  apostle's  hands.  "He  had 
not  only  been  chosen  by  the  judgment  of  men, 
in  the  ordinary  way,  but  had  been  previously 
named  by  the  Spirit."  (Calvin.)  With  the 
laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  presbytery. 
The  gift  was  imparted  in  connection  ^oith  the 
imposition  of  the  hands  of  the  elders  of  the 
church  where  he  was  ordained,  probably  at 
Lystra;  but  as  a  chaj'ism,  it  was  the  direct 
result  of  the  imposition  of  Paul's  hands,  who 
doubtless  united  with  the  presbyters  in  the  act, 
and  through  whom,  as  an  apostle,  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  given,  illumining  and  elevating  the 
natural  gift  before  existing,  and  making  a 
spiritual   gift  for  the  work  of  an  evangelist. 


The  doctrine  "of  the  laying  on  of  hands'"  is 
named  among  the  rudimentary  teachings  of 
the  Christian  religion.  (Heb.  6 : 1, 2.)  As  a  form, 
it  is  used:  L  To  confer  or  invoke  a  blessing 
on  another,  (ceu.  48:  u;  Matt.  i9: 15.)  2.  To  sig- 
nify the  laying  of  sin  on  the  victim,  or  on  the 
sca]icgoat,  in  the  ancient  sacrifices.     (Lev.  8:14.) 

3.    To  impart   healing    power.       (MarkG:5;   Luke  4: 

40;  13: 13;  Acts  28: 8.)  4.  By  apostlcs,  in  the  exer- 
cise of  their  special  prerogative,  to  confer  the 
Holy  Spirit,  (acu  8 :  n,  is;  2  Tim.  1 : 6.)  5.  To  con- 
secrate to  a  sacred  office,  or  special  religious 

work.     (Num.  8  :  10, 11 ;  27  :  23  ;  Acts  6:6;  13  :  3  ;  1  Tim.  5  :  22.) 

Here  the  reference  is  to  consecration  to  office, 
which,  according  to  an  apparently  uniform 
[  custom  in  the  apostolic  churches,  was  done  by 
1  the  imposition  of  the  hands  of  the  ministry," 
connected  with  prayer.  The  word  '  presby- 
tery' is  used  in  the  New  Testament  as  refer- 
ring: I.  To  the  Jewish  Sanhedrin.  (i.uke22:6; 
Acts  22:5.)  2.  To  the  body  of  elders  which  pre- 
sided over  a  Christian  congregation,  but  is 
only   here   found   as   a   direct   designation   of 

them.       (Acts  14  ;  23;  20  :  17;  James  »:  14.) 

15.  Meditate  upon  (be  mindful  of,  or,  care 
for,  be  concerned  for)  these  things  —  that 
is,  the  things  commanded  above,  especially 
those  in  which  his  ministerial  gift  should  be 
used.  It  directly  enjoins,  not  so  much  reflec- 
tion, or  thought,  on  them,  as  care  for  them, 
interest  in  them.  Give  thyself  wholly  to 
them — literally-,  be  in  than.  Have  thy  whole 
being  in  them;  be  entirely  absorbed,  en- 
grossed, in  them.  He  must  not  be  diverted 
from  his  work  to  other  interests,  however  ex- 
cellent they  may  be,  whether  science,  litera- 
ture, art,  society,  politics,  or  earthly  business. 
His  whole  being,  in  everj'  faculty  of  body  and 
soul,  is  to  be  given,  without  reserve  and  with 
hearty  enthusiasm,  to  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try. This  is  his  solemn  duty,  and  it  is  the 
essential  condition  of  genuine  success.  That 
thy  profiting  { pj-of/rcts)  may  appear  to  all 
— thy  growth  in  qualification;  thy  advance- 
ment in  knowledge,  wisdom,  holiness,  and 
ministerial  power.  "Implying,  first,  that  a 
perceptible  advance  in  the  things  which  con- 
stitute a  faithful  and  efl^ective  ministry  is  what 
may  be  justly  expected  even  in  the  mostquali- 


Ch.  v.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


57 


IG  Take  Iieeil  unto  ihyM-lf,  and  unto  the  doctrine; 
continue  in  iheiu  :  foi-  in  doing  this  tliou  shall  both 
Bave  thyseil',  and  tbeui  that  hear  luee. 


heed  to  thyself,  and  to  thy  teaehint;.  Continue  in 
these  things;  lor  in  doing  this  thou  shall  save  bulb 
thyself  and  them  that  hear  thee. 


CHAPTEK  V. 


REBUKE  not  an  elder,  but  entreat  him  as  a  father; 
(//(</  the  younger  men  as  brethren  ; 
•1  The  elder"  women  as  mothers  ;  the  younger  as  sisters, 
with  all  purity. 


1      Rebuke  not  an  elder,  hut  exhort  him  as  a  father: 

'1  the  younger  men  as  brethren  ;  the  elder  women  as 

mothers;    ihe   younger   as   sisters,   iu   all   purity. 


fied  servant  of  God;  and  then  that  the  way  to 
effect  this  is  by  a  sincere  and  devoted  applica- 
tion to  the  work  itself."  (Fairbairn.)  'Profit- 
ing' {progress).  Compare  for  the  use  of  the 
word,  Phil.  1  :  12,  25. 

16.  Take  heed  unto  thyself  and  unto 
the  doctrine.  The  first  care  of  the  minister 
should  be  for  his  personal  character  and  life, 
that  lie  may  be  in  these  an  example  to  the 
flock;  for  without  a  pure  life  all  else  is  worth- 
less.      (6:11;  2  Tim.  2:  2'2.)      Ncxt,  he  is  tO  look  WCll 

to  his  teaching,  alike  as  to  its  truth,  that  it  be 
the  pure  word  of  God,  and  as  to  its  adaptation 
and  power,  that  his  discourse  be  seasonable, 
and  in  manner  and  force  worthy  of  the  great 
themes  he  handles.  (2Tim.  2:i5.)  Continue  in 
them — steadfastly  pursue  thy  work.  Let  noth- 
ing turn  thee  aside  from  it.  (Acts20:24.)  For 
in  doing  this — not  by  doing  this,  as  if  this 
would  be  the  procuring  cause  of  salvation,  but 
in  doing  this.  We  are  not  saved  by  our  duties, 
but  in  them,  as  the  sphere  within  which,  and 
tlie  means  through  which,  the  grace  of  God 
saves  us.  Thou  shalt  both  save  thy.eelf 
and  them  that  hear  thee.  The  ministry, 
faithfully  exercised,  furnishes  the  most  favor- 
able conditions  for  salvation,  in  purifying,  en- 
larging, and  ennobling  the  soul,  and  prepar- 
ing it  for  glory.  (Ezek.  33:9;  James  5:  20.)  "  In  Striv- 
ing to  save  others,  the  minister  is  really  caring 
for  his  own  salvation."  (Wiesinger.)  Fidelity, 
also,  promotes  tiie  salvation  of  his  hearers; 
souls  are  tliereby  won  to  Christ.  The  richest 
promises  of  success  here  and  of  glory  here- 
after a  re  given  to  the  faithful  minister.  (Dan.  12: 3; 

Murk  1:17;    John  4:  36;    Acta  11 :  24  ;  14  : 1 ;  2 'im.  4  :7.)       "  As 

the  unfaithfulness  or  carelessness  of  the  pas- 
tor is  ruinous  to  the  church,  so  the  cau.se  of 
salvation  is  justly  ascribed  to  his  faithfulness 
and  diligence.  True,  it  is  God  alone  that 
saves;  and  not  even  the  smallest  portion  of 
his  glory  can  be  lawfully  bestowed  on  men. 
But  God  parts  with  no  portion  of  his  glory 
when  he  employs  the  agency  of  mon  for  be- 
stowing salvation."     (Calvin.)    "Few  are  the 


devoted  ministers  of  Christ  who  are  not  per- 
mitted to  see  evidence  even  here  that  their 
labor  has  not  been  in  vain,.  Let  not,  then,  the 
faithful  preacher  be  discouraged.  A  single 
soul  rescued  from  death  will  be  a  gem  in  his 
eternal  crown  brighter  by  far  than  ever 
sptirkled  on  the  brow  of  royalty."     (Barnes.) 


Ch.  5:1,2.  Spirit  and  Manner  of  Ad- 
ministering Reproof.  —He  is  enjoined  to  use 
entreaty  rather  than  harsh  rebuke,  exercising 
toward  the  aged  due  reverence,  and  toward 
all  genuine  tenderness  of  heart,  with  purity 
in  motive  and  act. 

1.  Rebuke — literally,  strike,  ov  smite,  then 
applied  to  sharp,  or  harsh  reproof.  Not  an 
elder — an  aged  man.  'Elder'  here  is  evi- 
dently not  used  as  the  oiBcial  title  of  presbyter, 
since  it  stands  contrasted  with  "the  younger 
men,"  mentioned  immediately  after.  The 
minister,  while  faithful  in  the  rebuke  of  sin, 
is  to  observe  the  natural  proprieties  of  life. 
Respect  for  age  is  a  dictate  of  nature,  as  well 
as  an  express  command  of  Scripture.  "  Thou 
shalt  rise  up  before  the  hoary  head,  and  honour 
the  face  of  the  old  man,  and  fear  thy  God  ;  I 
am  the  Lord."  (Deut.  i9:32;  i  Peter5:5.)  This  re- 
verence for  age,  often  conspicuously  ab-sent  in 
the  Western  wt>rld,  ever  has  been  one  of  the 
common  and  beautiful  traits  in  Oriental  life. 
While  the  duty  of  all,  it  should  be  specially 
prominent  in  the  young  mini.ster,  not  only 
toward  the  honored  and  good,  but  also  toward 
those  whose  misconduct  requires  admonition. 
But  exhort  him  as  a  father.  He  is  not  to 
denounce  with  harsh  reprimand,  but  to  exhort, 
or  entreat,  as  one  would  entreat  an  erring 
father.  The  younger  men  as  brethren — 
not  harshly,  arrogantly,  but  with  the  sym- 
pathy and  affection  one  would  use  in  seeking 
to  reclaim  a  brother. 

2.  The  elder  Avomen  as  mothers.  Deal 
with  them,  not  severely  and  sternly,  btit  as  a 
man  would  deal  with  his  mother,  in  leading 


58 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  V. 


her  out  of  error  and  sin  into  truth  and  holi- 
ness. The  younger  as  sisters,  with  all 
purity.  Purity  here,  as  4  :  12,  has  the  broader 
sense  of  moral  purity  in  general,  but,  in  this 
connection,  undoubtedly,  emphasizes  chastity 
in  spirit,  manner,  and  act.  Even  in  his  ad- 
niDnition  of  the  other  sex,  he  is  to  maintain 
perfect  purity,  so  guarding  tlie  sacrodness  of 
his  character,  that  the  heart  be  preserved  in- 
corrupt, and  that  neither  by  tone,  or  look,  or 
word,  or  act,  the  shadow  of  suspicion  shall 
rest  on  his  intentions  and  conduct.  '"  The  '  all ' 
liere  implies,  with  every  caution,  so  as  not  to 
give  the  slightest  suspicion."     (Bloomfield.) 

3-16.  Duty  of  the  Church  in  Keqard 
TO  THK  Care  of  Widows. — From  the  first, 
widows  were  recipients  of  the  special  care  and 
bounty  of  the  church.  (Afits6:i.)  It  is  obvi- 
ous, however,  that,  as  Christianity  extended, 
definite  regulations  would  be  needed  to  pre- 
vent the  abuse  of  this  benefi(;ent  provision, 
and  define  the  limits  within  which  it  was  to  be 
applied.  Church  charity  might  otherwise 
only  foster  idleness  and  pauperism,  with  all 
their  attendant  evils,  and  might  prove,  as 
public  charities  have  sometimes  proved,  a 
curse  rather  than  a  blessing.  The  apostle 
therefore  states  four  prerequisites  for  admis- 
sion into  the  number  of  widows  supported  by 
the  church.  It  is  required  of  the  applicant: 
1.  That  she  be  in  actual  need,  without  relatives 
to  support  her.  2.  That  she  has  reached  sixty 
years  of  age.  3.  That  she  has  sustained  irre- 
proachable ma/ital  relations.  4.  That  she  has 
made  a  good  reputation  for  home  virtues  and 
works  of  benevolence.  The  reasons  assigned 
for  these  limitations  are  :  (a)  As  to  her  deso- 
lation; that,  when  there  are  children,  or 
grandchildren,  these  ought  to  show  filial  piety 
by  giving  her  the  needed  support,  so  that  the 
church,  thus  exempted  from  the  care  of  such, 
maybe  able  to  relieve  those  wholly  without 
kindred.  (/>)  As  to  the  age  required  ;  that  the 
younger  widows,  by  receiving  church  support, 
would  be  likely  to  fall  into  idleness  and  gossip, 
and,  in  the  desire  for  remarriage,  would  yield 
to  a  wanton,  sensual  disposition,  such  as  could 
only  be  cherished  in  a  heart  lost  to  the  sim- 
plicity and  purity  of  its  first  faith  in  Christ, 
and  thus  resting  under  condemnation. 

Most  modern  interpreters,  as  Huther,  Hof- 
mann,  Van  Oosterzee,  Wiesingor,  Alford,  and 
Ellicott,  suppose  that  here,  at  least  in  verses  9, 


and  10,  the  widows  referred  to  formed  a  body 
either  of  female  presbyters,  or  of  deaconesses. 
The  verb,  \,o  enroll,  to  put  on  a  list,  or  register 
(KaToAeyei*-),  they  interpret  of  enrollment  on  a 
list  of  church  otficers.  It  seems,  however,  far 
more  natural  to  understand  it  of  enrollment  on 
the  Hot  of  widows  supported  by  the  church, 
especially  as  the  support  of  widows  is  plainly 
the  general  subject  of  the  whole  passage. 
That  these  widows  cannot  have  filled  any 
active  official  position  seems  plain  from  the 
following  considerations  :  1.  They  must  be  at 
least  sixty  years  old,  an  age  which  ordinarily 
precludes  active  duties,  such  as  devolved  on 
the  deaconesses,  and  the  later  order  of  female 
presbyters;  and  this  would  be  especially  the 
case  in  the  East,  where  woman,  as  a  general 
fact,  decays  much  earlier  than  in  the  West. 
2.  No  duties  whatever  are  assigned  them  in 
this  passage,  or  even  intimated  as  performed 
by  them.  The  only  description  of  their  life  is 
that,  being  without  kindred  and  without  family 
cares,  they  waited  continually  on  God  in 
"supplications  and  prayers."  The  passage 
therefore  contains  no  evidence  of  the  official 
position  of  the  widows,  but  implies  the  reverse. 
That  being  supported  by  the  church  and 
wholly  without  household  cares,  they  per- 
formed much  useful  service  in  their  personal  in- 
fluence and  their  labors  in  theciiurch  is  indeed 
probable  ;  and  that,  out  of  this  body  of  widows 
supported  by  the  church  was  derived,  at  a  later 
period,  the  order  of  female  presbyters,  of 
whomTertullian  apparently  speaks,  is  in  itself 
not  unlikely ;  but  neither  in  tii is  passage,  nor 
in  any  other  in  the  New  Testament,  is  there 
the  slightesthintof  an  official  t>rder  of  widows. 
Tills  idea  is  imported  into  the  passage  from 
a  much  later  usage  found  in  the  patristic 
churches;  a  method  of  interpretation  which 
involves,  not  merely  an  anachronism,  but  also 
a  false  principle  bj'  which  other  patristic  addi- 
tions to  Christianity  are  foisted  upon  Scripture. 
There  is  no  credible  witness  to  such  an  order 
of  female  presbyters  before  Tertullian,  more 
than  a  century  after  the  death  of  the  hist 
apostle.  Thus  nearly  all  the  ancient  commen- 
tators, with  Whitl\y,  Neander,  Fairbairn, 
and  others  among  the  modern. 

I.  3-8.  Duty  of  the  Church  to  Make 
Provision  for  Widows  who  are  in  Act- 
ual Desolation  and  Need. — 1.  Widows 
who  are  without  kindred  and  in  need,  are  to 


Ch.  v.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


59 


3  Honour  widows  tliat  are  widows  indeed. 

4  But  if  any  widow  have  cliildren  or  nephews,  let 
them  learn  first  to  shew  piety  at  home,  ar.d  to  requite 
their  pareuts:  for  that  is  good  and  accepiable  belbre 
God. 

5  Now  she  that  is  a  widow  indeed,  and  desolate, 
trusietli  in  (iod,  and  contiiiueth  in  supplications  and 
prayers  night  and  day. 

be  relieved  by  the  cliurt-h  ;  but  widows  who 
have  children  or  grandchildren,  should  be 
supported  by  them,  as  a  duty  required  by  filial 
gratitude  and  acceptable  to  God.  (3,4.)  2. 
The  reason  for  this  restriction  in  church  sup- 
port: The  widow  who  is  thus  left  desolate, 
being  without  earthly  dependence  and  care, 
has  her  hope  fixed  on  God,  and  devotes  herself 
continually  to  supplication  and  worship;  while 
the  widow  who,  being  not  thus  in  actual  need, 
lives  luxuriously,  is,  as  to  the  true  end  of  lifo, 
dead  while  she  lives.  (5,  6.)  3.  These  com- 
mands respecting  widows  Timothy  is  to  enjoin, 
that  the  church  may  not  be  subject  to  reproach ; 
but  if  any  person  neglects  to  make  provision 
for  those  belonging  to  his  own  household,  he 
shows  himself  false  to  the  gospel  and  inferior 
even  to  the  heathen.     (7,  8.) 

3.  Honour  widows  that  are  widows  in- 
deed— that  is,  who  are  tTu\y  widowed,  bereaved, 
desolate,  which  indeed  is,  in  the  original,  the 
import  of  the  word  widow ;  one  who  is  in 
actual  desolation  and  destitution,  and  is  thus 
dependent  on  church  support.  'Honor'  by 
jdacing  them  among  the  number  deemed 
worthy  to  be  supported  by  the  church.  The 
word  contains  the  idea  not  only  of  respect, 
consideration,  but  also  in  such  a  connection  as 

this,  that  of  temporal  support.    (Ver.l7;Matt.  15:4-6; 

Acts2« :  10.)  It  suggests  that  such  relief  is  not  to 
be  dealt  out  to  them  as  to  mere  paupers,  in  a 
manner  to  degrade  them,  but  as  to  Christian 
women  whom  the  church  holds  in  honor,  and 
to  whom  it  thus  shows  honor.  Care  for  widows 
was  a  marked  feature  in  the  Old  Testament 
period  (Exo.i.2'2: 22-24;  Deut. 24 :  17-19) ;  and  ill  the  apos- 
tolic  churches  it  was  very  early  made  a  promi- 
nent duty  (^  Acts  6:1).  It  is  one  of  the  most  natural 
and  beautiful  forms  of  Christian  beneficence. 

4.  But  if  any  widow  hath  children  or 
nephews  (or,  grandchildren) .  It  is  implied 
that  they  are  of  fitting  age  and  circumstances 
to  relieve  her  need.  Let  them  learn— that 
is,  the  children  or  grandchildren.  Many  of 
the  older  interpreters,  and  some  of  the  later, 
refer  this  to  the  widows  as  enjoining  them  not 
to  forsake  their  children  or  grandchildren,  but 


3  Honour  widows  who  are  widows  indeed.     But  if  any 

4  widow  hath  children  or  grandchildren,  let  llieiu 
learn  first  to  shew  piety  towards  their  own  family, 
aiid  to  requite  their  parents:  for  this  is  accepuiblo 

5  in  tlie  sight  of  God.  Now  she  thai  is  a  widow 
indeed,  and  desolate,  hath  her  hope  set  on  God,  and 
coutiuueth  in  supplications  and  prayeis  night  and 


to  rear  them  piously,  and  thus  requite  the  pious 
care  which  they  (the  widows)  themselves  re- 
ceived from  their  own  parents.  But  this  view 
seems  excluded  by  the  following  consider- 
ations: 1.  Such  an  exhortation  would  be  wholly 
needless;  the  natural  mother-love  would  keep 
them  from  abandoning  their  children.  2. 
The  widow  here  is  evidently  contrasted  with 
the  widow  in  vefse  3,  as  one  who,  having 
relatives,  is  not  "desolate,"  and  is  not  to  be 
supported  by  the  church.  3.  Not  only  does 
the  plural  form,  'Jet  them  learn,'  suggest  a 
reference  to  the  children,  but  the  whole  subse- 
quent context  favors  this  reference — as,  for 
example,  the  words  "show  piety "  and  " re- 
quite their  parents"  can  only  be  applied  to 
the  widows  by  a  very  forced  and  unnatural 
process.  First  to  show  piety  at  home 
{toward  their  own  house)  and  to  requite 
their  parents.  The  children  or  grandchil- 
dren are  to  show  their  filial  piety  by  providing 
for  the  widowed  mother  or  grandmother,  and 
thus  requite  her  care  for  them.  For  that  is 
good  and  acceptable  before  God — because 
in  so  doing  they  are  pleasing  to  God.  (Rpii. 
6:2,3.)  The  duty  of  support  rests  on  them 
first,  before  it  comes  on  the  church.  The 
Pharisaic  tradition  justified  the  child  in  de- 
voting his  means  on  God's  altar,  though  he 
thereby  left  his  parents  in  want ;  but  Jesus 
rebuked  it  as  a  transgression  of  the  divine  law. 
(Matt.  15: 1-9 ;  Eph.  6:1.2.)  The  words  '  good  and,' 
placed  in  the  Common  Version  before  'accept- 
Hble,'  are  wanting  in  all  old  manuscripts,  and 
are  rejected  by  critical  editors. 

5.  Now — resuming  the  description  of  the 
true  widow  which  was  broken  ofl'  b^'  verse  4. 
She  that  <s  a  widow  indeed  and  desolate 
— one  who  has  no  kindred  on  whom  she  can 
depend  and  is  thus  left  in  desolation.  Trusteth 
in  God — or.  Has  fixed  her  hope  on  God;  her 
desolate  condition,  without  earthly  supporters, 
impels  her  to  set,  and  continue  to  keep,  her 
hope  on  God.  (Jer.49:  n.)  "  It  is  the  duty  and 
comfort  of  those  who  are  desolate.  Therefore 
God  sometimes  brings  his  people  into  such 
straits  that  they  have  nothing  else  to  trust  to, 


60 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  V. 


6  But  she  that  liveth  in  pleasure  is  dead  while  she 
llvelli. 

7  And  these  things  give  in  charge,  that  they  may  be 
blameless. 

8  But  if  any  provide  not  for  liis  own,  and  specially 
for  those  of  liiji  own  house,  he  haih  denied  the  faith, 
und  is  worsti  than  an  inlidul. 

y  I>et  uoi  a  wi-low  he  taken  into  the  number  under 
threescore  years  old,  having  been  the  wife  of  one  man, 


6  day.    But  shf  that  giveth  herself  to  pleasure  is  dead 

7  while  she  liveth.    'ihese  things  also  coiiLinand,  that 

8  they  may  be  without  reproach.  But  if  any  provid- 
eth  not  lor  his  own,  and  specially  his  own  house- 
hold, he  hath  denied  the  faith,  and  is  worse  than  an 

9  unbeliever.     Let  none  be  enrolled  as  a  widow  under 


that  they  may  with  more  confidence  trust  in 
him.'  (Henry.)  And  continueth  in  sup- 
plications and  prayers   ni|:ht  and   day. 

The  Greek  words  liave  the  article,  tlie  suppii- 
catioiis  and  tlie prayers^  and  the  reference  may 
be  to  stated  attendance  on  the  public  prayers 
of  the  church,  for  which  her  freedom  from 
domestic  cares  would  give  opportunity,  and  to 
which  her  desolation  might  naturally  prompt. 
'  Night  and  day,'  however,  suggests  rather  the 
translation,  her  Hupplieati/yns  and  her  prayers, 
the  article  designating  these  as  the  natural  and 
well-known  duties  of  Christians,  to  which  she 
in  a  specitil  manner  would  give  herself.  Of 
the  two  words,  the  former  signifies  petitions, 
the  latter  acts  of  worship ;  here,  probably, 
there  is  no  emphasis  on  the  distinction.  Pos- 
sibly the  case  of  Anna  was  before  the  apostle's 

mind.       (Luke  a:  36,  a?;  18:7;  1  Cor.  7  :  32.) 

6.  But — in  contrast  with  the  case  of  the 
true  widow.     She  that  liveth  in  pleasure — 

liveH  in  luxury,  voluptuously,  wantonly  (James 
5:5);  one  who  lives  indulging  the  bodilj'  tippe- 
tites  and  the  mere  pleasures  of  sense.  Ellicott 
thinks  the  word  also  "points  to  prodigality, 
wastefulness."  Is  dead  while  she  lives — her 
frivolous,  selfish^  sensual  existence  is  not  true 
life;  it  fulfills  none  of  life's  true  ends,  and,  as 
to  any  real  value  to  herself  or  to  others,  she 

is    practically    dead.        (Mates  :  22;    Eph.  5  :  U;   Rev. 

3:1.)  "Though  she  seems  to  live  this  life  of 
the  senses,  she  is  dead  according  to  the  Spirit." 
(Theophylact. )  "While  alive  in  the  flesh,  she 
has  no  real  life  in  the  Spirit."     (Alford.) 

7.  And  these  things  give  in  charge 
— the  things  concerning  widows,  ver.  3-6. 
That  they  may  be  blameless.  The  end 
had  in  view,  namely — that  the  church  be 
not  exposed  to  reprotich,  as  they  would  be, 
either  by  improper  conduct  in  the  widows 
themselves,  or  by  unnatural  neglect  of  widows 
on  the  part  of  those  bound  to  care  for  them. 

8.  But  if  any  provide  not  for  his  own. 
A  general  precept,  requiring  all  to  make  pro- 
vision for  those  ntituriilly  dependent  on  them, 
but  here  given  as  emphasizing  the  duty  of 


children  to  provide  for  a  widowed  mother,  or 
grandmother.  The  word  'provide'  signifies 
to  take  care  for  beforehand,  to  foresee  and 
prepare  for  coming  need.  (Rom.  12  :  17;  2  Cor. 
8:21.)  And  specially  for  those  of  his  own 
house — his  own  kindred,  those  naturally  de- 
pendent on  him,  as  rightful  members  of  his 
family.  Tl)is,  though  it  certainly  suggests 
provision  for  one's  family  (2Cor.  12:14),  does  not 
iiuthorize  the  hoarding  of  wealth  for  them,  a 
sin  for  which  this  passage  is  often  cited  in 
justification.  But  here  the  emphasis  is  not 
placed  on  the  duty  of  parents  to  provide  for 
the  future  wealth  of  their  children,  but  on  the 
duty  of  children  to  provide  for  the  present 
needs  of  their  parents.  Against  such  hoarding 
for    children    Scripture   gives   frequent   and 

solemn  warning.    (Vs.  39  :  6;  EcoI.  2  :  is,  19,  Luke  12  :  20.) 

He  hath  denied  the  faith — has  repudiated 
the  gospel  as  a  rule  of  life,  in  that,  by  failing 
to  provide  for  those  dependent  on  him,  he  is 
untrue  to  its  teachings  and  spirit,  and  has  thus 
practically  renounced  the  faith.  "  Where  love 
does  not  exist  nor  work,  there  neither  does 
faith  exist  nor  work  ;  so  that  he  who  does  not 
fulfill  the  oflScesof  love  towtird  his  kindred,  is 
virtually  an  unbeliever."  (Macknight.)  And 
is  worse  than  an  infidel  {unbeliever).  Shows 
him.self  inferior  in  this  virtue  even  to  the 
heathen.  Cicero  taught :  "  Every  man  ought 
to  take  care  of  his  own  family";  and  this  was 
the  common  doctrine  of  the  heathen  moralists. 
Christ  teaches  that  the  Christian  should  be  in 
every  virtue  superior  to  the  hetithen.     (Matt. 5.- 

46,47.) 

II.  9,  10.  Qualifications  Required  in 
Widows  Supported  by  the  Church. — 
They  must  (1)  have  attained  sixty  years  of 
age;  (2)  have  sustained  honorable  marital  re- 
lations; (3)  have  made  a  good  reputation  for 
the  domestic  virtues  and  for  works  of  benevo- 
lence. 

9.  Let  not  a  widow  be  taken  into  the 
number  {enrolled)  under  threescore  years 
old.  This  did  not  preclude  aid  to  widows  who 
were  younger  and  were  in  need  ;  but  it  was  to 


Ch.  V.J 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


61 


10  Well  reported  of  for  good  works ;  if  she  have 
brought  up  cliildren,  if  she  havi-  lodged  strangers,  if  she 
have  washed  tlie  saints'  feet,  if  slie  have  relieved  the 
afflicted,  if  she  have  diligently  followed  every  good 
work. 


threescore  yeais  old,  hariiig  been  the  wife  of  ouc  man, 
10  well  reported  ot  for  good  Works;  if  slie  hath  hrouglit 
up  cliildieu,  it  shehaih  used  hospitulity  tu  sliuugers, 
if  she  hath  washed  the  Haiuts'  feet,  if  she  hath  re- 
lieved tlie  alllicted,  if  she  hath  diiigeutly  fulluwed 


be  presumed  that,  as  a  rule,  those  under  sixty 
would  be  capable  of  self-support,  or  would 
need  only  occasional  aid.  Hence  the  rule  that 
only  such  as  had  reached  the  age  of  sixty 
should  be  placed  among  those  whose  full  sup- 
port the  church  assumed.  Having  been  the 
wife  of  one  man — that  is,  one  who  had  lived 
chastely  in  the  marriage  relation.  It  has  no 
reference  to  the  number  of  times  she  had  been 
married,  but  refers  solely  to  fidelity  to  the 
marriage  vow.  Only  women  who  had  led 
virtuous  lives  were  to  be  received.  That  the 
apostle  does  not  intend  to  place  a  stigma  on 
remarriage,  and  make  it  a  bar  to  reception 
into  the  number  of  widows  sup|)f>rted  by  the 
church,  is  evident  from  the  followii\g  consider- 
ations :  1.  He  expressly  directs;  in  verse  14, 
that  the  younger  widt)ws  remarry,  and  affirms, 
iu  Rom.  7:1-3;  1  Cor.  7:8,  9,  39,  the  right- 
fulness of  remarriage.  2.  There  is  no  ade- 
quate evidence  of  a  public  sentiment  against 
remarriage  in  the  apostolic  age;  this  feeling 
arose  at  a  later  period,  as  a  natural  outgrowth 
of  the  false  asceticism,  whose  beginnings  the 
apostle  deprecates  in  this  Epistle.  3.  Even 
were  it  shown  that  such  a  sentiinent  existed  at 
that  time,  it  is  wholly  unlikely  that  the  apostle 
would  foster  it,  even  by  a  temporary  conces- 
sion ;  for  such  a  feeling  is  in  its  nature  wholly 
false,  and  is  subversive  of  a  fundamental 
human  right.  4.  The  language  here  does  not 
require  the  reference  to  remarriage  after  death 
of  a  husband  ;  for,  in  the  frequency  of  divorce, 
and  the  general  laxity  of  morals  (a  laxity  in- 
conceivable in  our  Christian  civilization),  it 
was  not  an  unusual  fact  that  several  living  men 
had  stood  in  the  relation  of  husband  to  the 
same  woman,  or  that  the  woman,  before  her 
conversion,  had  been  notoriously  unfaithful 
to  the  marriage  vow.  The  language  here 
would  perfectly  apply  to  either  of  these  cases. 
(Matt.  u:3, 4;  icor. 5:1.)  Such  a  view  is  Utterly 
foreign  to  the  spirit  and  doctrine  of  Paul,  who 
specially  warns  Timothy  against  such  an  as- 
cetic tendency  (4 ;  3),  and  declares  that  "  mar- 
riage is  honourable  in  all."  (Heb.i3:i4.)  Com- 
pare, for  more  full  discussion,  notes  on  ch.  3 :  2. 
The  widow  therefore  whose  former  marriage 
relations  had  been  discreditable  was  not  to  be 


received  lo  bring  discredit  on  those  supported 
by  the  church. 
10.  Well  reported  of  for  good  works — 

that  is,  for  good  works  done  in  her  former 
married  life.  She  must  have  a  good  reputa- 
tioit  as  one  who  had  wi>rthily  performed  the 
duties  of  life.  The  'good  works'  here  are  not 
mentioned  as  duties  for  which  she  nivtst  be 
qualified,  as  if  they  belonged  to  an  office  to 
which  she  was  now  to  be  set  apart ;  for  of  this 
tiiere  is  no  intimation.  But  they  are  good 
works  which  in  her  married  life  she  faithfully 
performed,  and  which  therefore  show  her  to 
be  worthy  of  this  provision  for  her  destitute 
and  widowed  old  age.  Hence  he  names  the 
prominent  virtues  of  a  Christian  matron,  the 
head  of  a  household;  and  if  in  her  married 
and  pro.sperous  da^'S  these  virtues  have  been 
shown  in  her,  this  was  to  be  received  as  evi- 
dence of  her  worthiness  to  be  enrolled  among 
the  widows.  Examples  of  the  good  works  re- 
ferred to  are  now  specifically  cited.  If  she 
have  brought  up  children — well,  success- 
fully brought  them  up,  her  own  or  others'.  If 
she  have  lodged  strangers — was  hospitable 
to  strangers,  a  duty  constantly  insisted  on  in 

the     New    Testament.       (3:2;  Rom.li!:13;  Heb.lS:?.) 

If   she    have    washed    the    saints'    feet. 

If  her  home  had  been  freely  open  to  Chris- 
tians, who  in  that  age  specially  needed  hos- 
pitality, and  her  heart  had  prompted  her 
to  perform  for  them,  as  Christ's  servants,  the 
most  humble  services,  such  even  as  the  hos- 
pitable duty  of  washing  their  feet.  In  hot 
countries,  where  only  sandals  are  worn,  this 
is   necessary  to  hospitality,  but  it  is  usiuilly 

done     by    servants.      (Gen. 18:4;19:2;  Luke7:4t;  John 

13:14.)   If  she  have  relieved  the  afflicted — 

was  thoughtful  and  helpful  to  the  poor,  the 
sick,  the  sorrowing,  and  the  friendless.  If 
she  have  diligently  followed  every  good 
worlt — if  her  life  was  marked  by  kindness, 
benevolence,  and  by  interest  and  effort  for 
truth  and  righteousness.  The  apostle  here 
depicts,  with  marvelous  skill,  the  traits  of  a 
true  Christian  matron,  and  enjoins  tl)at  only 
such  as  have  shown  them  .shall  he  admitted  to 
the  privileged  position  of  widows  supported 
by  the  church.  This  beneficent  provision  thus 


e2 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.V. 


11  But   the  younger  widows   refuse:   for  when  they  \  11  every  good  work.    But  younger  widows  refuse :  for 


liave  begun  to  wax  wanton  against  Christ,  tliey  will 
uiarry  ; 

12  Having   damnation,  because  they  have  cast  off 
their  tiist  laith. 


when  they  have  waxed  wanton  against  Christ,  they 
12  desire    to    marry;    having  cundeuination,  because 


stTved  to  deter  from  a  vicious  and  selfish  life, 
by  being  restricted  to  those  who  had  been 
virtuous  and  benevolent;  and  the  history  of 
church  cliarities  abundantly  justifies  the  wis- 
dom of  such  a  restriction,  "Particular  care 
ought  to  be  taken  to  relieve  those,  when  they 
fall  into  decay,  who,  when  they  had  where- 
withal, were  ready  to  every  good  work." 
(Uenry.) 

III.  11-16.  Widows  UNDER  Sixty  Years 
OF  Age  are  not  to  be  Enrolled  among 
THOSE  Sustained  by  the  Church. — 1.  Rea- 
sons for  excluding  such  from  the  list:  (a) 
Their  liability  to  fall  under  the  influence  of 
wanton  desire,  seeking  remarriage,  and  thus 
to  come  under  condemnation,  by  indulging  a 
frivolous,  earthly,  sensual  disposition,  incon- 
sistent with  their  original  faith  in  Christ,  (b) 
Their  danger,  if  thus  relieved  by  the  church 
of  the  necessity  of  self-support,  of  becoming 
idle  gossipers  and  tattlers,  and  in  this  way  in- 
jurious to  themselves  iind  others.  (11-13.)  2. 
It  is  the  apostle's  will,  therefore,  that  the 
younger  widows  marry,  and  assume  the  duties 
belonging  to  heads  of  families;  and  the  rec- 
ommendation to  this  finds  emphasis  in  the 
fact,  that  some  younger  widows,  who  had 
been  placed  on  the  widow's  list,  had  already 
become  an  occasion  of  scandal,  havingyielded 
to  temptation.  (14,15.)  3.  If,  however,  they 
do  not  remarry,  their  Christian  relations  or 
friends,  should  they  have  such,  ought  to 
assume  their  support;  that  the  church  be  not 
burdened,  but  have  means  to  support  those 
whose  age  and  desolation  make  them  widows 
indeed.  (IG.) 

II.  But  the  younger  widows  refuse — 
decline  to  put  widows  less  than  sixty  years  old 
on  the  list  of  those  supported  by  the  church. 
For  when  they  have  begun  to  wax  wan- 
ton against  Christ — wnxed  wanton;  "in- 
cited by  sensual  desire."  (Grimm.)  'Against 
Christ';  indulging  in  such  wanton  desires, 
they  are  in  spirit  and  conduct  in  opposition  to 
Christ.  It  is  "  to  surrender  oneself  to  a  carnal 
and  luxurious  course  of  life,  as  antagonistic  to 
the  claims  and  calling  of  Ciirist."  (Fair- 
bairn.)  They  will  marry— rather,  as  Revised 
Version,   desire   to  marry ;  yielding   thus   to 


wanton  desire,  they  will  seek  a  remarriage. 
This  will  become  in  tliem  a  dominant  passion 
and  purpose,  coloring  and  directing  their 
spirit  and  life.  Their  sin  was  not  in  their  re- 
marriage, to  which,  indeed,  the  apostle  here 
counsels  them,  but  in  the  wanton  desire  for  it, 
which  led  to  a  condition  of  mind  and  a  course 
of  conduct  such  as  involves  the  loss  of  that 
faith  which  thej'  had  at  their  conversion. 

12.  Having  damnation  {condemnation) — 
from  God;  not  necessarily,  however,  eternal 
condemnation,  but  as  erring  children  falling 
under  his  displeasure  and  consequent  chastise- 
ment. Perhaps,  also,  the  condemnation  is  not 
to  be  excluded  which  their  conduct  called  forth 
from  others,  and  even  from  their  own  con- 
sciences. Because  they  have  cast  off 
their  first  faith.  In  yielding  to  such  an 
earthly,  sensual  disposition,  thej'  showed  that 
in  heart  they  had  fallen  away  from  their  orig- 
inal faith  in  Christ.  "The  writer 'by  faith  ' 
understands  the  inner  faith-relation  to  Christ, 
the  real  faith-life,  which  to  him  is  always  es- 
sentially conditioned  on  a  good  conscience 
and  a  fulfilling  of  moral  duty.  So  now  here: 
these  wanton,  husband-seeking  widows  came 
into  a  condition  in  which  .  .  .  they  lay  on 
themselves  condemnation."  (Beck.)  'First 
faith '  here  does  not,  as  some  suppose,  signify 
a  formal  promise  of  perpetual  widowhood, 
made  on  being  enrolled  among  the  widows; 
for  of  such  a  promise  there  is  no  trace  in  Scrip- 
ture, and  it  is  in  itself  wholly  foreign  to  the 
spirit  of  the  gospel.  This  vow,  like  the  office 
of  presb^'teress  with  which  it  was  connected,  is 
not  found  in  the  Christian  Church  until  more 
than  a  century  after  this  Epistle  was  written, 
a  period  when  the  asceticism  which  the  apostle 
here  deprecates  had  triumphed  in  the  church. 
It  was  easy  for  Tertullian,  and  the  Fathers 
who  followed  him,  to  find  here  a  vow  of  wid- 
owhood, because  in  their  age  celibacy  had 
come  to  be  regarded  as  superior  to  marriage; 
butsurely  a  sober  and  reverent  exegesis  should 
reject  so  false  a  principle  of  interpretation  which 
imputes  the  perverted  ideas  of  that  far  later 
period  to  the  simple,  pure  words  of  God.  The 
Most  High  nowhere  puts  dishonor  on  marriage, 
that  first  and  holiest  institution  lie  established 


Ch.  v.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


63 


13  And  withal  they  learn  to  be  idle,  wandering  about 
from  Ikjusu  to  house;  and  not  only  idle,  but  tattlers 
also  and  busybodies,  speaking  things  which  they  ought 
not. 

14  I  will  therefore  that  the  younger  women  luarry, 
bear  children,  guide  the  house,  give  uoue  occasion  lo 
the  adversary  to  speak  reproachluUy. 


13  they  have  rejected  their  first  i  pledge.  And  withal 
they  learn  also  lo  be  idle,  going  about  from  house  to 
house;  and  not  only  idle,  but  tattlers  also  and  busy- 

14  bodies,  speaking  things  which  they  ought  not.  I 
desire  therefore  that  the  jounger  -ividuim  marry, 
bear     children,    rule     the     household,     give     nolie 


IOt.  faith 2  Or,  women. 


on  earth  ;  and  all  attempts  of  man  to  set  aside 
or  to  lower  and  degrade  this  primal  ordinance 
of  Iieavcn  have  perpetually  tended,  not  to 
holiness,  but  to  the  degradation  of  woman 
and  the  diffusion  of  immorality  through  so- 
ciety. Tiie  interpretation  here  of  such  a  vow, 
while  thus  doubtful  as  resting  on  a  palpable 
anachronism  and  as  adverse  to  the  spirit  of  the 
gospel,  is  also  inconsistent  with  the  language 
and  context.  For  1.  '  Failh '  (n-iVris)  is  used  to 
express  a  vow  or  promise  only  in  rare  and  ex- 
centicnal  cases,  where  the  context  clearly 
indicates  the  departure  from  the  usual  sense. 
2.  No  intimation  is  given,  by  transitional  word 
or  otherwise,  that  the  apostle,  at  verse  9, 
changes  his  subject  from  the  temporal  support 
of  widows  to  their  induction  into  a  church 
ofRce;  on  the  contrary,  verse  16,  wliich  clearly 
relates  to  the  temporal  support  of  widows, 
shows  tliat  the  subject  remains  unchanged 
through  the  whole  passage,  from  verse  3  to 
verse  16.  The  plain  meaning  is,  therefore, 
that  in  giving  themselves  up  to  a  frivolous, 
earthly,  sensual  disposition  and  habit,  they 
destroyed  the  simplicity  and  purity  of  that 
faith  in  Christ  which  they  had  professed  in 
baptism,  and  from  which  issues  a  life  dedicated 
to  God.  "If  this  faith  referred  to  a  ])romise 
not  to  remarry,  it  could  not  be  called  their 
'first  faith.'"  (Whitby.)  Thus  Calvin,  Ben- 
gel,  Fairbairn. 

13.  And  withal  they  learn  to  he  idle, 
wandering  about  from  house  to  house — 
a  further  reason  why  widows  under  sixty 
should  not  be  taken  into  the  number  sup- 
ported by  the  church;  for,  thus  freed  from 
the  necessity  of  self-support,  they  fall  into 
i  lleness,  with  all  the  evil  dispositions  and 
habits  it  engenders.  The  apostle  uses  the 
present  tense  because  he  is  ."^peaking  of  an  evil 
which  must  ntiturally  result  from  such  a  cause 
and  which  was  already  apparent.  (Ver.  is.) 
The  facts,  therefore,  justified  this  restriction 
as  to  age;  for  the  younger  widows,  thereby- 
left  to  their  own  resources,  would  be  impelled 
to  honorable  industry  and  be  preserved  from 


the  dangers  always  consequent  on  idleness. 
And    not    only   idle,  but   tattlers    also — 

loose,  or  trifling  talkers,  tale-bearers.  And 
busybodies — meddling  in  matters  that  do 
not  concern  them,  mischief-mailers.  Speak- 
ing things  which  they  ought  not.      The 

common  results  of  idleness :  h  makes  gossips, 
tale-bearers,  meddlers  in  other  people's  mat- 
ters. The  inspired  pen  has  here  drawn  the 
true  picture  of  many  an  idle  and  worse  than 
wasted  life,  degrading,  bemiring  itself  in  the 
filthy  slime  of  social  gossip  and  scandal,  instead 
of  ennobling  and  elevating  itself  in  the  service 
of  Christ.  The  remedy  for  this,  as  iiere  indi- 
cated, is  in  devolving  on  them  as  far  as  possi- 
ble the  duty  of  self-support,  and  in  encouraging 
them  to  re-enter  the  married  state,  as  opening 
to  them  their  natural  sphere  of  development 
and  usefulness. 

14.  I  will,  therefore,  that  the  younger 
women  marry.  '"Women,'  supplied  in  the 
Common  Version,  is  not  found  in  the  Greek; 
and  as  widows  here  form  the  subject  of  the 
context,  it  is  plainly  of  them  the  apostle  speaks. 
In  view  of  the  ill  results  which  have  followed, 
and  which,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  will  be 
likely  to  follow  the  reception  of  the  younger 
widows  among  those  supported  by  the  church, 
therefore  he  gives  it  as  his  apostolic  counsel  and 
desire  that  they  remarry,  because  this  would 
place  them  in  normal  and  safe  relation.?.  Bear 
children,  guide  the  house.  Thus  placed  in 
the  varied  duties  of  the  home  life,  as  presiding 
over  a  family,  they  would  be  preserved  from 
temptation  and  would  be  likely  to  honor  the 
Christian  profession.  Give  none  occasion 
to  the  adversary  to  speak  reproachfully, 
'adversary,'  probably  here  referring  to  the 
Jew  or  Gentile  opposer  of  the  gospel,  who  was 
ever  seeking  occasion  for  reproach  of  it  in  the 
failings  and  misconduct  of  those  who  professed 
it.  (Tttos2:8.)  "He  who  is  of  the  contrary 
part."  (Phil.  1:28.)  Here,  as  elsewhere,  the 
apostle  presents  home  life  as  woman's  best 
refuge  from  social  dangers,  and  as  the  true 
nursery  of  the  purest  and   noblest  womanly 


64 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  V. 


15  For  some  are  already  turned  aside  after  Satan. 

16  If  any  man  or  wuiuan  that  believeth  have  widows, 
let  theui  relieve  them,  and  let  not  the  church  be 
charged;  that  it  may  relieve  them  that  are  widows 
indeed. 


lo  occasion  to  the  adversary  for  reviling:  for  already 

IG  some  are  turned  aside  utter  Satan.     If  any  woman 

that   believeth    hath   widows,  let  her  relieve  them, 

and  let  not  the  church   be  burdened;  that  it  may 

relieve  them  who  are  widuws  indeed. 


virtues;  and  that  asceticism  which  forbids 
or  depreciates  marriage  he  regards  as  the 
prolific  fountain  of  social  degradation  and 
wrong.  All  history  has  confirmed  this  teach- 
ing of  Holy  Writ;  the  virtue,  and  conse- 
quently the  strength  and  welfare,  of  any  peo- 
ple is  in  its  homes.  The  destruction  of  family 
life  has  always  wrougiit  social  demoralization 
and  national  ruin.  The  only  occasion  when 
Paul  discouraged  marriage  was  in  the  presence 
of  impending  persecution,  when  he  counseled 
temporary  abstinence  as  "good  for  the  present 
distress,"  but  even  then  accorded  perfect  free- 
dom to  each  to  act  in  the  matter  as  his  own 
convictions  might  dictate,     (icor.  7:7,8,26, 32-34.). 

15.  For  some  are  already  turned  aside 
after  Satan.  Referring  doubtless  to  well- 
known  cases  at  Ephesus,  where  young  widows, 
after  being  enrolled  among  those  supported  by 
the  church,  had  shown  these  tendencies  to 
evil,  and  had  thus  given  occasion  for  reproach. 
This  fact  he  presents,  not  merely  as  a  wtirning 
to  others,  but  as  a  reason  for  the  restriction, 
apparently  now  first  made,  as  to  age  in  the  re- 
ception of  widows,  and  for  tlie  direction  that 
the  younger,  instead  of  relying  on  church  sup- 
port, should  remarry. 

16.  If  any  man  or  woman  that  believ- 
eth have  widows,  let  them  relieve  them. 
An  extension  of  the  duty  enjoined  in  verses 
4,  8,  requiring  the  relief  of  widows  more  dis- 
tantly related  than  mother  or  grandmother. 
Probably  also  the  special  reference  is,  as  the 
context  suggests,  to  those  among  the  younger 
widows  who  for  any  cause  did  not  remarry, 
and  who,  if  they  had  children,  might  not  be 
able  to  derive  support  from  them  in  conse- 
quence of  their  yet  tender  age.  To  such  a 
widowed  relative,  though  more  distantly  re- 
lated, as  sister  or  cousin,  aunt  or  niece,  it  is  the 
duty  of  Christian  kindred  or  friends  to  supply 
needed  relief.  And  let  not  the  church  be 
burdened,  that  it  may  relieve  them  that 
are  widows  indeed.  Relieved  of  the  burden 
of  supporting  these  younger  widows  and  such 
as  had  relatives,  the  church  could  reserve  its 
means  for  the  support  of  those  who,  being 
without  kindred,  and  of  an  age  incapable  of 
self-support,  are,  in  a  true  and  absolute  sense. 


widows.  Most  of  the  oldest  manuscripts,  as 
the  Sinaitic,  Alexandrian,  and  Ephraim,  witli 
some  verses,  read :  If  any  woman  that  be- 
lieveth. The  words,  prefixed  in  the  Common 
Version,  'man  or,'  were  probably  added  in 
later  manuscripts  as  a  correction,  because  the 
mention  of  woman  only  seemed  singular.  But 
the  apostle  is  here  speaking  speciallj'  of 
woman's  duty,  and  would  perhaps  naturally 
speak  of  the  female,  rather  thtin  the  mtile, 
head  of  the  family,  because  she  also  would  be 
most  nearly  affected  by  the  addition  of  such 
widows  to  the  family. 

The  fundamental  conceptions  of  church 
charity  unfolded  in  this  passage  have  been 
justified  by  all  experience  in  eleemosynary 
work.  Indiscriminate  charity  has  alwaj's 
proved  a  serious  evil.  In  the  beneficiaries,  it 
has  fostered  indolence  and  pauperism,  with  all 
the  vices  that  attend  them  ;  while  in  the  bene- 
factors, it  has  constantly  tended,  from  the  pal- 
pable evils  resulting,  to  dry  up  the  fountain  of 
beneficence.  Hence  the  divine  wisdom  of  the 
method  here  prescribed.  1.  The  charity  is  to 
be  bestowed  in  such  spirit  and  manner  as  not 
to  degrade,  but  to  elevate  and  benefit  the 
need^'.  'Honor  widows,'  as  recognizing  their 
relation  to  Christ,  and  the  relief  bestowed  as 
bestowed  on  Christ,  who  is  represented  in 
tliem,  as  suffering  members  of  iiis  bod.y.  fMatt. 
2,T :  40.)  All  almsgiving  should  be  done  as  unto 
Christ,  and  in  such  manner  as  to  preserve  and 
develop  a  genuine  self-respect  in  the  recip- 
ient. 2.  The  church  should  assume  the  full 
support  only,  («)  when  age  and  desolation 
exist  such  as  preclude  self-support  and  relief 
from  kindred ;  and  (6)  when  the  previous 
character  and  life  have  been  such  that  the  re- 
cipient is  a  fitting  ward  of  the  church,  and 
will  not  bring  dishonor  on  the  bounty  be- 
stowed. The  cliurch  will,  indeed,  show  kind- 
ness, as  far  as  in  her  power,  to  all  needy  ones, 
and  even  to  the  unworthj- ;  but,  as  regards 
widows,  she  is  not  to  assume  i\\G  full  support, 
and  thus  make  wards,  of  an\'  except  such  as 
present  these  conditions.  This  restriction  of 
honorable  support  to  the  aged  who  also  had 
previously  borne  an  honorable  character, 
would  serve  at  once  to  stimulate  the  charitable 


Ch.  v.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


65 


17  Let  the  elders  that  rule  well  be  counted  worthy  of 
double  honour,  especially  they  who  labour  in  the  woi"d 
and  doctrine. 


Let  the  elders  that  rule  well  be  counted  worthy  of 
double  honour,  especially  those  who  labour  in  the 


contribution  of  the  church  for  this  object,  by 
the  assurance  that  it  was  well  bestowed,  and 
to  make  the  provision  an  encouragement,  not 
to  improvident  and  unworthy  living,  but  to 
the  prudent  and  virtuous  conduct  of  life. 
In  the  possible  event  of  a  bereft  and  helpless 
old  age,  every  true  wife  and  mother  had  the 
hope  that  in  the  bosom  of  the  church  she 
would  find  an  honorable  refuge  from  want ; 
while  yet  the  church,  in  offering  to  her  such  a 
prospect,  did  not  encourage  idle  and  vicious 
living,  by  opening  an  asylum  for  the  improvi- 
dent and  undeserving.  3.  Christian  cliarity 
should  find  its  outlet,  not  so  much  through 
public,  organized  church  work,  as  through  in- 
dividual, private  acts  of  kindness.  Hence  the 
apostle  throughout  this  passage  seeks  to  de- 
velop to  the  utmost  private  beneficence  in  the 
relief  of  the  need^^  and  to  reduce  within  the 
smallest  possible  limit  the  sphere  of  public, 
formal  church  support,  (ver.  4, 8,  to,  i6.)  For,  as 
it  respects  both  the"  benefactor  and  the  recipi- 
ent, personal  rather  than  oflBcial  beneficence 
is  that  which  confers  tlie  richest  and  most 
ennobling  blessings. 

17-25.  Directions  Respecting  the  Com- 
pensation, Discipline,  and  Selection  of 
Elders. — 1.  Elders  who  excel  in  the  pastoral 
office,  especially  those  who  give  themselves  to 
preaching  and  instruction,  are  entitled  to  liberal 
compensation,  as  is  shown  from  both  Scripture 
and  reason.  (17,18.)  2.  Discipline  should  be 
instituted  against  an  elder  only  when  the 
charge  is  supported  by  the  testimony  of  two  or 
three  witnesses;  but  those  who  are  convicted 
as  living  in  sin  should  be  rebuked  before  the 
whole  church,  that  the  rest  may  fear  to  sin. 
(19,  20.)  3.  In  dealing  with  the  elders,  Tim- 
othy is  solemnly  charged,  as  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  Christ  and  all  holy  beings,  to  observe 
these  instructions,  acting  without  prejudice  or 
partiality;  as  also  to  avoid  rashness  in  setting 
men  apart  to  the  eldership,  since,  otherwise, 
by  his  neglect  to  ascertain  their  character,  he 
would  become  a  virtual  sharer  in  their  sins,  if 
they  proved  unworthy.  (21,22.)  4.  As  men  are 
difterently  constituted,  some  revealing  plainly 
and  at  once  their  real  character,  while  others 
conceal  it,  he  is  urged  to  use  caution  and 
patience  in  forming  his  judgment  of  men,  but 


is  encouraged  also  by  the  assurance  that  the 
real  character,  however  concealed,  will  sooner 
or  later  be  fully  manifested.     (:^4,  25.) 

17.  Let  the  elders  that  rule  well — that 
is,  those  who  are  distinguished  for  success  in 
presiding  over  the  church  and  its  interests; 
men  who  show  marked  ability  in  developing, 
organizing,  and  guiding  the  activities  of  the 
church,  and  in  the  care  and  help  of  souls.  Be 
counted  worthy  of  double  honour — rather, 
of  d(juble  consideration,  involving  here,  as  in 
ver.  3,  a  consideration  or  regard  which  finds 
expression  in  pecuniary  reward.  Observe : 
they  are  not  to  receive  double  compensation 
as  a  mere  gratuity,  but  are  to  "be  counted 
worthy"  of  it.  It  is  their  due,  and  is  to  be 
paid,  therefore,  as  a  just  debt.  Thus  always 
in  the  Bible  :  the  payment  of  God's  ministers 
is  never  made  a  gratuitj-,  but  always  a  matter 
of  obligation.  Especially  they  who  labour 
in  the  word  and  doctrine,  or,  in  preaching 
and  instruction.  This  does  not  imply,  as  some 
have  supposed,  two  distinct  orders  of  elders, 
one  order  only  ruling,  and  the  other  both 
ruling  and  preaching;  for,  according  to  uni- 
form New  Testament  testimony,  the  double 
function  of  ruling  and  preaching  belonged  to 
all  presbyters.  For  1.  The  qualifications  for 
both  these  duties  were  required  for  admission 
to  the  office  (3:2,4,5;  Titus  1:9);  nonccould  enter, 
unless  both  "apt  to  teach"  and  qualified  "to 
take  care  of  the  church  of  God."  2.  Teach- 
ing is  everywhere  found  combined  with  ruling 
in  the  fimctions  of  the  elder.  Paul,  in  address- 
ing the  elders  of  Ephesus,  projioses  to  them 
his  own  work,  both  in  spiritual  oversight  and 
in  public  and  private  teaching,  as  an  example, 
illustrating  and  enforcing  their  duties,  (acism: 
20,21.28,31,35.)  Thus  elsewhere:  "Remember 
them  that  have  the  rule  over  you,  who  have 
spokenunioyon  the  word  of  God."  (Heb.  is:  7,  i7; 
1  Thess.  5: 12.)  "With  thcsc  plain  statements  this 
pas.sage  is  in  full  accord  :  it  furnishes  no  evi- 
dence of  a  class  of  ruling  elders,  distinct  from 
those  who  preached.  The  simple  and  natural 
interpretation  is  this:  The  apostolic  churches, 
certainlj'  the  larger  ones  like  that  at  Ephesus, 
had  a  plurality  of  elders;  biit  all  of  these, 
though  of  equal  authority  and  like  function, 
did  not  possess  in  an  equal  degree  the  same 


66 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  V. 


18  For  the  Scripture  saith,  Thou  Shalt  not  muzzle  the     18  word    and    in    teaching.    For  the  scripture  saith, 


ox  thai  treadeth  out  the  corn.  Aud,  the  labourer  is 
worthy  of  his  reward. 

li)  Against  an  elder  receive  not  an  accusation,  but 
before  two  or  three  witntsst-s. 

2j  Them  tha',  sin  rebuke  before  all,  that  others  also 
may  lear. 


Thou   shalt  not  muzzle    the  ox   when  he  treadeth 
out  the  corn.     And,  The  labourer  is  worthy  of  his 

19  liire.    Against  an  elder  receive  not  an  accusation, 
except    at    Uie    muulh   of   two    or   three    witnesses. 

20  Theiu  that  sin  reprove  in  the  sight  of  all,  tlial  the 


gifts.  While  one  was  eminent  in  the  pastoral 
cure,  another  excelled  in  preaching;  and  still 
another  was  distinguished  in  hoth  these  depart- 
ments, and,  thus  specially  gifted,  devoted  his 
whole  time  to  the  office.  It  is  of  this  class 
Paul  here  speaks — those  wlio  not  only  rule 
well,  but  also  excel  in  public  instruction,  and 
who  consequently  devote  themselves  wholly 
to  the  work.  These,  he  says,  should  receive, 
not  the  ordinary  compensation  given  to  elders, 
but  a  double  or  larger  compensation,  propor- 
tioned to  the  greater  time  and  labor  given  to 
the  office. 

18.  For  the  Scripture  saith,  Thou  shalt 
not  muzzle  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the 
corn — or,  while  treading  out  the  grain.  The 
quotation,  taken  from  Deut.  25  :  4,  and  intro- 
duced by  'for,'  is  designed  to  enforce,  as  a 
duty,  the  honorable  support  of  those  who  give 
themselves  wholly  to  the  ministry.  In  Pales- 
tine, then  as  now,  threshing  was  ordinarily 
done  by  oxen,  which  were  driven  over  the 
sheaves,  opened  and  spread  on  the  threshing- 
floor,  to  separate  the  grain  from  the  straw, 
either  simply  bj^  treading  it  willi  their  feet  or 
also  by  bruising  it  with  a  heavy  threshing- 
wain  drawn  after  them.  (Hoseaio:  ii.)  The 
farmer  sometimes  begrudged  the  poor  animals 
the  occasional  tnouthfuls  of  straw  and  grain 
snatched  while  treading,  and  therefore  muzzled 
the  oxen.  This  God  forbade — a  prohibition, 
which,  while  applying  literally  to  oxen,  the 
apostle  declares  (icnr. 9:9)  was  intended  to 
teach,  reasoning  from  the  less  to  the  greater, 
the  duty  of  a  generous  regard  for  all  who 
serve  us,  especially  for  the  ministers  of  the 
gospel.  If  God  would  have  men  tenderly 
regard  the  needs  of  oxen,  while  preparing 
grain  for  the  earthly  garner,  much  more 
would  he  have  the  church  care  tenderly  for 
the  needs  of  the  ministrj%  who,  toiling  in  God's 
spiritual  harvest,  are  preparing  souls,  as  grain 
of  priceless  value,  for  the  garner  in  heaven. 
The  duty  of  a  generous  support  of  the  minis- 
try is  enforced  by  Christ  himself  (Matt.  io:9,  lo; 
Luke  10: 7);  and  OUT  apostlc  elscwhero,  with 
great  eari^estne^s,  pressess  it  on  the  consciences 


of  the  people,    (l  Cor.  9;  ll-U:  Gal.  6:6;  1  The.ss.  5: 12, 13.) 

And,  The  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  re- 
ward— probably  not  intended  as  a  quotation, 
but  language  used  by  the  apostle  as  a  common 
maxim,  as  indeed  it  is  also  used,  for  a  like 
purpose,  by  Christ.  (Mau.  lo.io:  Lukeio:  7.)  It  is 
not  improbable -that  the  apostle  knew  of  its  use 
by  Christ;  but  had  he  intended  to  quote  as 
from  Christ,  he  would  hardly  have  quoted  it 
as  "  Scripture,"  but  would  have  named  Christ 
as  authority.  Thus  Calvin,  Hulher,  Wiesinger, 
Alford.  Some,  however,  insist  on  its  quota- 
tion from  the  gospels,  and  cite  2  Peter  3  :  16, 
as  proof  that  the  books  of  the  New  Te.«tament 
were  already  regarded  as  a  part  of  "Scrip- 
ture." Thus  all  the  ancient  interpreters,  and 
among  the  later,  Macknight,  Scott,  Words- 
worth, Fausset,  and  others. 

19.  Against  an  elder  receive  not  an 
accusation,  but  before  two  or  three  wit- 
nesses— or,  upon  the  tefitiniony  or  authority 
of  two  or  three  vntnesses.  The  meaning  is, 
not  that  an  elder  should  not  be  convicted 
except  on  .such  testimony, — for  in  all  cases 
the  Hebrew  law  required  two  or  three  wit- 
nesses   to    convict    (Deut.  17  :  6;  19  :  15;  Matt.  18  :  16), 

though  a  citation  for  trial  might  be  made  on  a 
charge  brought  by  one  witness, — but  that  an 
accusation  should  not  be  entertained,  judicial 
proceedings  should  not  be  instituted,  unless 
two  or  three  responsible  parties  attested  the 
charge.  This  is  required,  as  a  special  ])recau- 
tion,  in  the  case  of  the  elder,  both  because  his 
position  creates  a  presumption  in  his  favor, 
and  because,  as  a  minister,  he  is  peculiarly 
exposed  to  malice,  and  his  reputatitm  and 
influence  might  be  seriou.sly  injured  bj'  the 
entertaining  of  a  charge,  though  on  the  trial 
he  was  acquitted.  The  influence  of  even  the 
best  minister  might  be  destroyed,  if  idle 
gossip  and  social  tattling  were  accounted  a 
sufficient  ground  for  serious  charges  and  judi- 
cial proceedings. 

20.  Them  that  sin— or,  are  sinning — that 
is,  are  convicted  as  living  in  sin.  It  refers  not 
to  such  as  are  "  overtaken  in  a  foult"  (Gqi.  6:t), 
but  to  those  with  whom  some  form  of  sin  has 


Ch.  v.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


67 


21  I  charge  thee  befire  Goil,  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  aud  the  eh  ct  angels,  that  thou  observe  these 
things  without  prefcrriug  one  before  another,  doing 
uotliiiig  by  purtialiiy. 

22  l^ay  hands  suddenly  on  no  man,  neither  be  par- 
taker of  other  men's  sins:  keep  thyself  pure. 


21  rest  also  may  be  in  fear.  I  charge  thee  in  the  si^ht 
of  tiod,  and  Ihrist  Jesus,  and  the  elect  angi;!.-.,  that 
thou  observe  these  things  without  '  prejudice,  ooing 

22  nothing  by  paniality.  Lay  liaiuls  hastily  on  no 
man,  neither  be  partaker  of  other  men's  sins;  keep 


I  Or,  pr^erence. 


become  liiibitual.  This  direction,  as  the  con- 
text suggests,  rehites  to  tlie  case  of  elders  who 
are  convicted  as  living  in  sin;  and  the  lestric- 
tion  to  these  is  necessary,  if  we  accept,  with 
some,  the  reading,  but  them  that  sin,  which 
is  found  in  some  old  manuscripts.  It  is,  how- 
ever, given  in  a  general  form,  and  the  direc- 
tion really  applies  to  all  who  publicly  sin. 
Rebuke  before  all — before  the  whole  church. 
The  public  position  of  the  offenders  made  their 
sin  puldic,  and  there  was,  therefore,  the  more 
danger  of  its  infecting  others.  A  public  rebuke 
in  such  case  would  at  once  vindicate  the  church 
from  complicity  with  the  sin,  and  deter  others 
from  falling  into  it.  This  injunction  does  not 
conflict  with  that  in  ver.  1 :  for  there  the  apos- 
tle is  speaking  of  personal,  private  rebuke, 
while  here  he  speaks  of  a  formal  church  cen- 
sure, after  due  public  conviction,  and  which 
therefore  would  be  administered  as  from  the 
church.  That  others  also  may  fear — that 
is,  the  rest  of  the  church.  Compare  2  Tim. 
4;  2;  Titus  1  :  10-13.  The  public  rebuke  would 
tend  to  deter  others  from  falling  into  the  sin 
thus  solemnly  reprobated. 

21.  I  charge  thee  before  God — not  an 
adjuration,  but  a  solemn  charge,  given  as  in 
full  view  of  God  and  Christ  and  holy  angels, 
who  are  conceived  as  witnessing  and  joining 
in  it.  The  apostle,  in  giving  the  charge,  and 
Timothy  in  fulfilling  it,  are  under  the  direct 
gaze  of  the  spiritual  world.  Compare  1  Thess. 
4:6;  2  Tim.  2  :  14  ;  4:1.  Others  interpret  of 
the  future  judgment,  when  the  whole  spiritual 
universe  will  be  present,  and  each  human  life 
will  be  revealed  in  that  solemn  and  glorious 
Presence.  And  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — 
the  word  'Lord'  is  not  in  the  Sinaitic,  Alex- 
andrian, Claroinontanus,  and  other  old  man- 
uscripts, and  is  wanting  in  many  ancient  ver- 
sions and  Fathers.  And  the  elect  angels — 
referring  to  the  holy  angels,  as  distinguished 
from  the  "angels  which  kept  not  their  first 
estate."  'Elect'  designates  them  as  the  special 
objects  of  God^s  b)ve,  and  the  chosen  minis- 
ters of  his  will.  It  is  as  in  the  presence  of 
God  and  Christ  and  all  holy  intelligences  in 


the  universe,  the  apostle  lays  this  charge  on 
his  assistant,  requiring  him  to  act  in  the  affairs 
of  the  church,  and  especially  in  those  relating 
to  the  ministry,  as  in  full  view  of  this  august, 
but  invisible  Presence.  The  interest  and  par- 
ticipation of  angels  in  the  events  of  this  world, 
especially  in  the  work  of  redemption,  are  seen 
in  Matt.  18:10;  Luke  15:10;  1  Cor.  4:9; 
Heb.  1:14;  12:22.  That  thou  observe 
these  things— referring  to  the  things  en- 
joined. (ver.19,20.)  Without  preferring  One 
before  another— or,  without  prejudice  or 
prejudgment.  He  is  not  to  prejudge  any  case, 
but  to  bring  to  the  investigation  a  calm,  un- 
biased, judicial  mind,  prepared  to  weigh  fairly 
the  evidence,  and  to  decide  strictly  according 
to  truth.  Doing  nothing  by  partiality — 
not  only  is  he  to  avoid  an  intellectual  pre- 
judgment, but  he  is  to  act  with  impartial  heart, 
without  bias  of  feeling,  allowing  neither  affec- 
tion nor  aversion  to  influence  his  decision  for 
one  against  another.  The  consciousness  of 
the  presence  and  gaze  of  the  heavenly  world 
would  lift  him  above  passion  and  prejudice, 
and  fit  him  to  act  with  caution  and  impartiality 
in  the  discipline  of  the  church,  and  especially 
of  the  ministry. 

22.  Lay  hands  suddenly  (hastily)  on  no 
man — that  is,  without  due  inquiry  and  delib- 
eration. Some  refer  this  to  an  imposition  of 
hands  customary  on  the  readmission  of' ex- 
cluded persons  to  the  church;  they  regard 
this  verse,  therefore,  as  a  caution  against  the 
hasty  and  inconsiderate  restoration  of  such  to 
church  fellowship.  Such  a  custom,  without 
doubt,  existed  in  the  third  century,  as  it  is 
mentioned  bj'  Cyprian;  but  as  it  is  nowhere 
alluded  to  in  Scripture,  as  Paul  uses  "  the  iaj'- 
ingon  of  hands"  in  these  Epistles  only  of  ordi- 
nation (*:!*.■  2 Tim.  1:7),  and  as  the  Fathers  near- 
est to  the  apostolic  age  so  interpret  it.  the 
phrase  should  probably  be  understood  here  of 
ordination  to  the  ministry.  The  hasty  admis- 
sion of  men  to  the  ministry  Wf>uld  be  likely  to 
result  in  ministerial  irregnlaritiesand  oflx'nses; 
the  caution,  therefurc,  against  hasty  ordination 
is  here  naturally  connected  with  the  subject  of 


68 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  V. 


23  Drink  no  longer  water,  but  use  a  little  wine  for 
thy  stomach's  sake  and  thine  often  intinnities. 

2i  .Some  men's  sins  are  open  hefurehand,  going  before 
to  judgment ;  and  some  men.  they  follow  after. 


2o  thyself  pure.  Be  no  longer  a  drinker  of  water,  but 
use  a  little  wine  for  tliy  stomach's  sake  and  thine 

24  often  infirmities.  Some  men's  sins  are  evident, 
going  before  unto  judgment;  and  some  men  also 


ministerial  discipline.  Thus  all  the  older  inter- 
preters, with  Grotius,  Macknight,  Van  Oos- 
terzee,  Alford,  Fairbairn,  and  others,  among 
the  modern.  (3:6.)  Neither  be  partaker 
of  other  men's  sins — as  he  would  be,  if, 
through  want  of  due  consideration  in  setting 
apart  ministers,  he  should  appoint  the  un- 
worthy, and  thereby  scandal  come  on  the 
church.  Even  Christ,  when  choosing  the 
twelve  apostles,  decided  on  the  persons  to  be 
set  apait  only  after  most  of  them  had  been 
with  him  for  at  least  a  year,  and  then  only  after 
a  night  spent  in  prayer.  (Luke6:r2.i6.)  Paul 
and  Barnaba-,  in  their  first  mission,  though 
tliey  made  many  converts  on  their  outward 
journey,  did  not  ordain  elders  until  they  re- 
turned homeward,  when  there  had  been  time 
to  test  the  character  of  the  converts,  and  a 
wise  judgment  was  possible  in  making  selec- 
tion for  official  and  responsible  station.  (Actsi*: 
ji-23.)  This  caution  in  appointing  to  the  sacred 
office,  which  appears  so  conspicuously  in  Scrip- 
ture, should  be  sacredly  observed;  for  the 
church  and  the  presbytery  which  neglect  it 
become  sharers  in  the  sins  of  those  whom  they 
thus  recklessly  place  in  positions  of  trust  and 
authority.  Keep  thyself  pure— literally, 
thyself  he.ep  pure,  that  thou  mayest  be  fitted 
to  rebuke  sin  in  others.  'Pure,'  not  merely 
chaste,  but,  iji  reference  to  the  whole  outward 

life,  blameless,   holy.       (2  Coi-  7:n;    Pl.il.  4:S;  1  John 

3:3.)  Present  in  thyself  an  example  of  purity, 
so  a*s  to  be  prepared  to  demand  a  like  purity 
in  those  who  would  enter  the  sacred  office. 
"  While  thou  hast  to  act  as  judge  upon  other 
men,  be  morally  pure  thyself."     (Ellicott.) 

23.  Drink  no  longer  water,  but  use  a 
little  wine — literally.  Be  no  longer  a  vjater 
drinker;  that  is,  one  who  makes  water  his 
exclusive  drink.  It  seems  that  Timothy  was 
a  total  abstainer  from  wine.  The  reason  of 
this  is  not  stated,  but  probably  he  abstained  as 
an  example,  to  deter  others  from  the  use  of 
strong  drink,  which  then,  as  now,  was  a  pre- 
vailing and  destructive  vice.  Some  suppose 
that  an  ascetic  tendency  restrained  him;  but 
the  apostle  bases  his  advice  to  'use  a  little 
wine,'  not  on  this  ground,  but  solely  on  the 
needs  of  his  health— a   reason  in  itself  ade- 


quate, and  beyond  which  we  need  not  pass. 
For  thy  stomach's  sake  and  thine  often 
infirmities — or,  oft-recurring  ailments.  A 
little  wine,  in  the  apostle's  judgment,  was 
required  as  a  medicine.  Timothy  was  afflicted 
with  bodily  weakness,  often  recurring,  and 
doubtless  hindering  his  work;  and  Paul  sug- 
gests wine  as  the  remedy.  "These  frequent 
infirmities  perhaps  explain  the  timidity  of 
Timothy's  character."  (Farrar.)  This  mor- 
bid timidity  might  impair  the  vigor  and  firm- 
ness so  essential  in  the  administration  of 
discipline,  especially  in  the  discipline  of  pres- 
byters ;  and  hence  this  direction  in  regard  to 
care  in  giving  increased  tone  to  his  bodily 
health.  Thus  Alford.  Two  suggestions  may 
here  be  made:  1.  It  is  the  duty  of  ministers 
to  exercise  due  care  for  their  health  ;  there  is 
neither  wisdom  nor  piety  in  neglecting  means 
to  secure  and  retain  that  bodily  vigor  on  which 
usefulness  must  so  largely  depend.  "God 
wills  that  people  should  take  all  due  care  of 
their  bodies.  As  we  are  not  to  make  them 
our  msisters,  so  neither  our  slaves;  but  to  use 
them  so  as  they  may  be  most  fit  and  helpful 
to  us  in  the  service  of  God."  (Henry.)  2. 
No  inference  can  be  drawn  from  this  passage 
for  the  use  of  wine  as  a  beverage;  it  is  here 
advised  solely  as  a  medicine,  in  view  of  oft- 
recurring  bodily  ailments.  Indeed,  the  fact 
that  Timotliy  was  himself  an  abstainer,  and 
that  the  apostle  only  advises  wine  as  a  remedial 
agent,  suggests  that  Paul  did  not  favor  its  use 
as  a  beverage.  Plainly,  no  one  can  rightfully 
plead  the  sanction  of  Paul  for  the  use  of  wine, 
unless  he  has  the  bodily  ailments  for  which 
alone  Timothy  was  advised  to  use  it. 

24.  Some  men's  sins  are  open  before- 
hand— requiring  no  difficult  investigation  to 
discover  and  expose  them.  Going  before 
to  judgment.  They  are  "crying  sins"; 
plain,  open  violations  of  God's  laws,  thus 
'going  before,'  or  anticipating  judgment. 
And  some  men  they  follow  after.  Their 
sins  being  concealed,  stand  revealed  only  after 
investigation,  or  by  their  results.  Such  men, 
under  a  fair  exterior  have  a  rotten  character; 
and  only  careful  inquiry,  or  the  developments 
of  time  and  providence,  will  reveal  it.     Thus 


Ch.  VI.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


69 


2o  Likewise  also  the  good  works  of  some  are  manifest  I  25  they  follow  after.     In  like  manner  also  •  there  are 
beforehand  ;  and  they  that  are  otherwise  cauuot  be  hid.  I        good  works  tlial  are  evident ;  and  such  as  are  other- 

I        wise  cannot  lie  hid. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

LET  as  many  servants  as  are  under  the  yoke  count  1    1      Let    as  many  as  are  ^servants  under  the  yoke 
tlieir  own   masters  worthy  of  all  honour,  tliat  the  count  their  own  masters  worthy  of  all  honour,  that 

name  of  God  and  kis  doctrine  be  not  blasphemed.  |        the  name  of  God  and  the  doctrine  be  not  blaspliemed. 

1  Gr.  the  works  that  are  good  are  evident 2  Gr.  bondservants. 


their  sins  do  not  precede,  but  rather  follow 
trial  or  judgment. 

25.  Likewise  also.  This  difference  in 
the  manifestation  of  character  in  the  wicked 
is  also  seen  in  the  righteous.  The  good 
works  of  some  are  manifest  beforehand 
— they  stand  out  before  the  eyes  of  all,  reveal- 
ing at  once  and  distinctly  the  true  character 
of  those  who  perform  them.  And  they  that 
are  otherwise  cannot  be  hid — that  is,  the 
good  works  that  are  not  now  openly  manifest 
cannot  be  hid.  The  good  works  of  others  are 
less  openly  manifest,  rendering  it  more  diffi- 
cult to  decide  as  to  their  character;  but  even 
in  these  cases  their  righteousness  will  sooner 
or  later  be  revealed.  It  is  an  eternal  law  that 
ciiaracter,  whether  good  or  bad,  tends  to  reveal 
itself,  and  will  in  the  end  stand  forth  distinctly 
apparent.  "There  is  nothing  covered  that 
shall  not  be  revealed,  and  hid  that  shall  not 
be  known."  (m;.u.  lo :  26.)  The  design  of  verses 
24  and  25  is  at  once  to  encourage  and  to  cau- 
tion Timothy  in  reference  to  the  judgment  of 
character  necessary  in  setting  apart  men  for 
the  ministry,  and  in  the  disciplinary  work  of 
the  church.  The  task  was  difficult,  requiring 
great  caution  and  discrimination,  because  men 
are  so  differently  constituted  as  to  the  mani- 
festation of  character.  Hence,  he  should 
exercise  patience,  forming  no  hasty  judg- 
ment, contenting  himself  with  no  partial, 
imperfect  investigation  ;  and  should  proceed 
in  ordination  or  discipline  only  after  thorough 
examination  and  trial,  assured  that  patient 
investigation  and  the  testing  of  time  will  at 
last  develop  the  real  character,  however  con- 
cealed. 


Ch.  6:1,2.  Duties  of  Christian  Slaves 
TO  THEIR  Masters. — 1.  If  the  masters  are 
unbelievers,  they  are  to  render  to  them  all 
due  honor,  averting  the  reproach  to  God  and 
his  gospel  which  the  opposite  course  would 
occasion.     2.    If   the  masters    are    believers, 


Christian  slaves  are  not  to  despise  their  au- 
thority as  masters,  because  they  are  brethren 
in  Christ;  but  all  the  more  to  render  them 
service,  because  those  who  receive  the  benefit 
of  the  service  are  believing  and  beloved. 

1.  Let  as  many  servants  as  are  under 
the  yoke.  Tlie  word  here  translated  'servant' 
(SouAos),  signifies :  1.  A  s^«ye,  one  held  in  in- 
voluntary servitude.  Thus  1  Cor.  7  :  21 ;  Gal. 
3  ;  28;  Col.  3  :  11;  Rev.  6  ;  15,  in  all  which 
the  bond-servant  is  contrasted  with  the  free 
man.  Possibly  also,  as  in  Matt.  18  :  2.3-26,  it 
sometimes  designates  servants  in  general.  2. 
A  servant,  or  one  who  voluntarily  submits  his 
will  andoapacitytothesway  of  another.  Thus, 
"  Whosoever  committeth  sin  is  the  servant  of 
sin"  (john8;34);  and  "servants  of  sin,"  "ser- 
vants of  righteousness."  (Eom.  C  :  16-22. )  In  thlS 
sense,  as  self-devoted,  without  reserve,  to  God, 
Christians  are  called  "the  servants  (SoOAoi)  of 
God."  (iPeter2: 16.)  3.  A  .9er««HY,  as  One  who 
is  not  only  devoted  absolutely  to  God,  but  who 
is  also  set  apart  by  him  for  a  special  service. 
Thus  Paul  is  "a  servant  of  God"  (Rom.  it  i: 
Pi'iiii),    and   the    other   apostles,  (j^imes  i :  i ,- 2 

Peter  1  :  1:  Judel)  ;    SO    also     MosCS    (Rev.l5;3).     and 

even  Christ  (p'''1-  2 : 7).  In  these  case?  involun- 
tariness  is  excluded  from  the  conception,  and 
the  word  designates  one  whf>  yields  himself, 
in  the  voluntary  self-devotement  of  all  the 
faculties  of  his  being,  to  the  will  and  service 
of  God.  Here  the  words  "under  the  yoke" 
show  that  the  term  is  used  in  the  first  sense 
— s/ove.t,  bondmen,  in  a  state  of  involun- 
tary servitude.  Count  their  own  masters 
worthy  of  all  honour.  The  Christian  slave 
was  not  to  suppose  that,  because  of  his  exalted 
heavenly  calling,  he  was  released  from  the 
duties  of  his  earthly  station  ;  rather,  his  pro- 
fession as  a  Christian  should  lead  him  to  still 
higher  fidelity  to  them,  so  that  his  master, 
though  unbelieving,  would  be  compelled,  by 
his  cheerful  and  faithful  service,  to  acknowl- 
edge the  excellence  of  his  religion  in.stead  of 


70 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  VI. 


2  And  they  tliat  have  believing  masters,  let  them  not 
despise  tlieiu,  because  they  are  brethren  :  but  raiher  do 
them  service,  because  they  are  faithful  and  beloved,  par-  I 
talce^'s  of  the  benefit.    These  things  teach  and  exiiort.  I 


2  And  tliey  that  have  believing  masters,  let  them  not 
despise  them,  because  tliey  are  brethren;  but  let 
them  serve  them  the  rather,  because  they  that '  par- 
take of  the  benetit  are  believing  and  beloved.  These 
things  teach  and  exhort. 


;  Or,  lay  hold  of. 


blaspheming  tlie  Christian's  God  aiul  the  gos- 
pel. (Titus  2: 9, 10.)  That  tlie  iiaiiie  of  God  aiid 
his  doctrine  be  not  blasphemed.     It  was 

charged  against  Israel,  "  The  name  of  God  is 
Llasphemed  ainong  tlie  Gentiles  through  you." 
(Rom.  2:24.)  The  avoidaiice  of  all  occasion  of 
reproach  on  the  part  of  unbelievers  is  specially 
enjoined  on  Christians.     (Titus  2 : 5, 10.) 

Slavery  formed  a  prominent  feature  in  the 
ancient  world.  In  the  chissic  period,  Athens 
is  said  to  have  had  twenty  thousand  free  men 
and  four  hundred  thousand  slaves.  Gibbon 
estimates  that  in  the  apostolic  age  the  slave 
population  in  the  Roman  Empire  equaled 
that  of  the  free,  an  estimate  which,  though 
usually  regarded  as  too  low,  makes  the  num- 
ber of  slaves  at  least  sixt3'  millions.  Acquired, 
originally,  either  from  captives  taken  in  war 
or  from  slave  dealers,  this  vast  multitude, 
forming  half  the  empire,  were  held  in  per- 
petual servitude,  and  were  bought  and  sold 
like  cattle  in  the  market.  Servile  insurrec- 
tions were  frequent,  and  were  terrific  in  the 
passions  they  developed,  and  the  devastation 
and  blood  that  attended  them.  It  was  an 
ever-present,  ghastly  peril,  a  terrible  force, 
which,  like  a  pent-up  volcano,  momentarily 
threatened  to  break  forth,  and  overwhelm  in 
destruction  the  whole  fabric  of  the  Roman 
state  and  civilization.  This  gigantic  social 
wrong  Christianity  met.  It  did  not,  however, 
propose  an  instant  and  violent  disruption  of 
the  slave's  bonds;  for  thus  it  could  only  have 
made  itself  a  terror  to  society,  as  fomenting  a 
socialistic  revolution,  and  menacing  the  de- 
struction of  that  social  order  on  which  the 
security  of  life  and  property  depends.  But 
it  antagonized  the  evil,  as  Moses  had  done  in 
the  earlier  Dispensation,  not  by  formal  enact- 
ment abolishing  at  once  the  civil  relation,  but 
by  the  inculcation  of  principles  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  relations,  such  as  must  inevitably 
work  its  ultimate  removal.  It  did  not  pro- 
claim civil  freedom  to  the  slave,  but  it  gave 
him  a  spiritual  freedom,  which  ennobled  and 
blessed  even  his  servile  condition.  It  taught 
him,  "If  thou  mayest  be  free,  use  it  rather" 


— freedom  is  to  be  chosen  rather  than  bond- 
age; but  if  the  yoke  may  not  be  broken,  be 
not  restive  under  it.  Rather  look  on  thy 
position  as  the  post  of  duty  divinely  appointed 
for  thee,  and  serve  therein  as  doing  service, 
not  to  man,  but  to  God.  It  thus  elevated  the 
character  and  blessed  the  life  of  the  slave,  by 
exalting  even  his  menial  toil  into  a  Christ- 
service,  at  once  ennobling  and  divine;  and 
the  Christian,  while  in  outward  relation  a 
bondman,  was  in  spirit  the  Lord's  free  man. 
See  1  Cor.  7  :  20-24 ;  Eph.  6:5-8;  Col.  3  :  22; 
Titus  2  :  9;  1  Peter  2  :  18-21.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  great  doctrines,  that  God  made  all 
men  of  one  blood,  and,  therefore,  by  nature 
equal  in  rights;  that  Christ  "gave  himself  a 
ransom  for  all,"  and  before  him,  therefore,  all 
believers,  as  alike  redeemed  by  his  blood  and 
made  members  of  his  body,  are  essentially 
equal,  without  distinction  of  bond  or  free; 
and  that  in  the  church,  all — alike  the  slave 
and  the  free  man — have  an  equal  voice,  and 
stand  on  the  same  footing:  these  primary, 
essential  principles  of  the  gospel,  as  they  per- 
meated Christian  life,  must  destroy  all  arbi- 
trary, oppressive  social  distinctions,  and  create 
a  Christian  civilization,  in  which  all  men  would 
find  equality  before  huirian  law,' as  they  had 
equality  in  the  sight  of  God.  Indeed,  the  ex- 
press injunctions  laid  on  Christian  masters 
insured  to  the  slave  even  then,  if  not  an  imme- 
diate legal  emancipation,  at  least  the  essential 
advantages  of  freedom.     (Eph.  6:9;  Gat.  3 :  28 ;  coi. 

4:1.) 

2.  And  they  that  have  believing  mas- 
ters— Christian  slaves  wliose  masters  are  also 
Christians — let  them  not  despise  them, 
because  they  are  brethren  —  an  obvious 
danger.  In  the  spiritual  kingdom  they  were 
one  in  Christ  Jesus,  brethren  invested  with 
equal  rights;  and  they  might  easily  think  that 
this  destroyed  the  earthly  relation  of  master 
and  slave.  But  this  new  and  higher  spiritual 
relation,  the  apostle  insists,  though  it  must 
es.sentially  influence. and  modify  the  civil  rela- 
tion, did  not  dissolve  it.  Spiritusil  enfran- 
chisement was  not  civil  enfranchisement.    In 


Ch.  VI.] 


L  TIMOTHY. 


71 


3  If  any  man  teach  otherwise,  and  consent  not  to 
wholesome  words,  even  the  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  aud  to  the  doctrine  which  is  according  to  godli- 
ness; 


3  If  any  man  teacheth  a  differeut  doctrine,  and 
conseulelh  not  to  '  sound  words,  «(•<■«  the  Words  (if 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  aud  to  the  doctrine  which 


1  Gr.  healthful. 


earthly  station  they  were  still  master  and 
slave;  and  he  forbids  that  Christiitn  slaves, 
taking  advantage  of   their  spiritual  equality 


regard  piety  only  as  a  means  of  earthly  gain. 
(4,5.) 
3.  If  any  man  teach  otherwise — that  is. 


with  tiieir  masters,  should  cease  to  honor  and    any  other  doctrine  than  that  here  tauglit,  re- 


obey  them  in  the  civil  relation.  But  rather 
do  tlieni  service,  because,  they  are  faith- 
ful and  beloved,  partakers  of  the  benefit 

— or,  but  all  the  more  serve  them,  because  they 
who  partake  of  the  benefit  are  believing  and 
beloved,  or,  because  they  who  (in  return  for 
benefits  conferred)  receive  the  benefit  (of  the 
service)  are  believing  and  beloved.  The  word 
here  translated  partakers  signifies  to  receive 
in  return  for  something,  as  a  reciprocal  bene- 
fit. It  implies  that,  while  the  masters  received 
the  benefit  of  the  slaves'  service,  that  was  in 
fact  only  a  reciprocation  of  benefit  received 
by  the  slaves  from  the  masters.  The  passage 
thus  aflords,  perhaps,  an  inlook  upon  the  rela- 
tions of  reciprocal  kindness  •existing  between 
masters  and  slaves  in  the  apostolic  churches. 
Here  the  apostle  teaches  that  the  Christian 
character  and  relations  of  the  master,  who 
shared  tlie  benefit  of  the  slaves'  service,  in- 
stead of  prompting  to  discontent  and  disobe- 
dience, should  rather  prompt  to  a  more  cheer- 
ful and  heartj' service.  These  things  teach 
and  exhort — the  things  relating  to  the  honor 
and  obedience  due  from  slaves  to  their  mas- 
ters. It  was  the  duty  of  Timothy  to  teach 
and  guard  the  Christian  slaves  against  the  doc- 
trine and  spirit  of  servile  insurrection,  then  so 
widely  and  disastrcmsly  threatening  the  foun- 
dations of  society  in  the  Roman  world. 

3-5.  The  Evil  Character  and  Influ- 
ence OF  Him  who,  Opposing  this  Instruc- 
tion, Teaches  a  Different  Doctrine. — 
He  is  characterized:  1.  As  one  who  does  not 
assent  to  the  healthful  words  of  Christ,  and  to 
the  teaching  which  accords  with  godliness.  (3.) 
2.  As  one  who  is  puffed  up  with  self-conceit, 
though  he  has  in  fact  no  right  apprehension  of 
trutli,  but  is  morbidly  eager  for  needless  and 
hurtful  disputation.  (4.)  3.  The  controversies 
thus  fomented  by  him  excite  only  evil  passions 
and  continual  animosities  in  such  as  are  cor- 
rupted in  mind  and  bereft  of  the  truth,  who 
evince  their  corruption  and  error  in  that  they 


ferring  primarily  to  the  instruction  just  given 
in  regard  to  slaves;  but,  as  the  form  of  state- 
ment is  general,  it  perhaps  ccnnprehends  all 
teaching  contrary  to  that  of  the  apostle.  Com- 
pare ch.  1  :  3-7.  It  seems  probable  that  the 
false  teachers  referred  to  in  this  Epistle,  among 
other  perversions  of  tiie  gospel,  taught  a  false 
view  of  Christian  freedom  and  social  order, 
socialistic  and  anarchical  doctrines,  adapted  to 
infliime  the  ditferent  classes  of  society  against 
each  other,  and  to  excite  a  social  revolution. 
They  thus  made  Christianity  a  mere  instru- 
ment for  the  reorganization  of  society,  and  the 
securing  of  political  and  social  equality.  It  is 
evident  that  such  teaciiing,  while  it  wholly 
ignored  the  spiritual  significance  and  value  of 
tlie  gospel,  must  be  in  the  highest  degree  dan- 
gerous in  a  social  condition  where  at  least  one- 
half  the  population  were  slaves.  It  could 
result  only  in  revolution  and  anarchy.  Hence, 
tiie  frequency  and  urgency  with  whicii  Paul 
inculcates  on  slaves  the  duty  of  obedience  to 
their  masters;  while  yet  he  nowhere  affirms 
the  riglitfulness  of  the  rehttion  of  master  and 
slave,  but  every wh<'re  teaches  doctrines  and 
establishes  institutions  which,  with  silent  and 
potent  force,  must  in  the  end  work  its  destruc- 
tion. And  consent  not  to  wholesome 
words — or,  does  not  accede  to  words  morally 
healthful,  adapted  to  the  health  of  the  indi- 
vidual soul  and  of  society.  '  Wholesome.' 
Compare  1  :  10;  2  Tim.  1  :  13;  4:3.  Titus  1  : 
9,  13 ;  2:1,  2.  The  gospel,  faithfully  preached, 
tends  to  the  moral  health  of  a  community, 
purifying,  elevating,  and  ennobling  men  in 
ever\'  relation  of  life.  It  makes  inen  better  in 
the  family,  in  society,  in  the  state,  and  thus 
uplifts  and  blesses  the  life  of  mankind,  pro- 
motes law  and  order,  and  diffuses  intelligence 
and  happiness.  Even  the  words  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  These  health-giving 
words  are  the  words  of  Christ,  wlio  ever 
taught  the  patient  endurance  rather  than  the 
violent  resistance  of  wrong.    (M«f..  i :  .is-is.)    Pos- 


72 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Cn.  VI. 


4  He  is  proud,  knowing  nothing,  but  doting  about 
questions  and  stinfes  of  words,  whereof  couietii  envy, 
siriie,  railings,  evil  suriiiisiiigs, 

5  Perverse  disputings  of  men  of  corrupt  luinds,  and 
destitute  of  the  truth,  supposing  that  gain  is  godliness : 
from  sucli  withdraw  thyself. 


4  is  accDrdiiig  to  godliness;  he  is  puffed  up,  knowing 
nothing,  but  •  doting  about  que^lionings  and  dis- 
putes of  words,  whereof  cometh  envy,  strife,  rail- 

5  iugs,  evil  surmisings,  wrangliugs  of  men  corrupted 
iu  mind  and  bereft  of  the  trutti,  supposing  that  god- 


sibly  the  apostle  refers  to  his  own  words  as  the 
words  of  Christ,  since  the  gospel  he  preached 
was  not  received  from  man,  "  but  by  the  reve- 
lation of  Jesus  Christ."  (oai.  i :  ii,  12.)  And  to 
the  doctrine  which  is  according  to  god- 
liness— doctrine  that  accords  with  and  tends 
to  godliness. 

4.  He  is  proud  {puffed  up) — literally,  en- 
veloped in  smoke,  besotted  with  self-conceit. 
(3  :  6.)  "  He  is  a  vaporer,  enveloped  with  self- 
conceit."  (Beck.)  "Commonly  those  are 
most  proud  who  know  least;  for  with  all  their 
knowledge,  they  do  not  know  themselves." 
(Henry.)  Knowing  nothing — or,  although 
he  undersiands  nothing,  has  no  right  appre- 
hension of  the  gospel,  (i  :  7.)  But  doting 
about — or,  is  sick  about,  is  ^norbidly  eager 
fo) — -questions  and  strifes  of  words.  Dis- 
eased in  mind,  lie  fails  to  apprehend  the  sub- 
stantiiil  truths  of  religion,  and  is  morbidly 
contentious  about  questiijns  of  no  real  moment. 
His  state  is  the  reverse  of  that  spiritual  health 
which  the  wholesome  words  of  the  gospel 
bring.  Whereof  cometh.  As  before  the 
apostle  has  shown  the  mentally  diseased  con- 
dition of  these  men,  he  now  points  out  the 
results  that  flow  from  it.  Tiie  questionings 
and  word  strifi-s  fostered  by  this  morbid  spirit 
of  contention  inflame  the  worst  passions  and 
animosities  among  men — that  is,  among  these 
false  teachers  and  those  who  follow  them. 
Envy — making  the  slave  enviotis  of  the  mas- 
ter, the  poor  of  the  rich,  the  aflSicted  and  un- 
fortunate of  the  prosperous,  thus  producing 
discontent  and  murnnuring.  Strife  —  envy 
naturally  leads  to  discord  in  word  and  act. 
Railings — or,  evil  speaking,  harsh  and  abu- 
sive language,  a  common  result  of  disputes, 
especially  when  inspired  by  erroneous  views. 
Evil  surmisings — those  harsh  suspicions  of 
each  other's  motives  and  intentions  which 
arise  when  confidence  and  charity  have  been 
lost. 

5.  Perverse  disputings — or,  lasting  dis- 
putes, stubborn  contentions,  the  word  as  found 
in  the  best  text  signifying  wranglings  that 
are  perpetual.     Of  men  of  corrupt  minds 


and  destitute  of  the  truth — rather,  co7'- 
rupted  in  mind  and  bereft  of  the  truth;  de- 
scriptive of  the  men  to  whom  the  preceding 
characteristics  belong,  as  'envy,  strife,'  etc. 
Mind  (rbv  voiiv)  includes  here  the  intellect  as 
well  as  the  moral  nature;  the  whole  inner 
man,  mental  and  spiritual,  is  corrupted.  (Titu» 
1 :  15.)  The  word  rendered  destitute  means,  not 
barely  without  the  truth,  but  bereft  of  the 
truth,  either  as  for  the  time  despoiled  of  the 
truth  bj'  Satanic  temptation,  or  its  permanently 
given  over  bj'  God  to  judicial  blindness,  to 
"strong  delusion  that  they  should  believe  a 
li^"  (2  Thess.  a:9-i2.)  Perverted  in  their  in- 
most life,  they  had  neither  susceptibility  to 
spiritual  truth,  nor  power  to  apprehend  it. 
Supposing  that  gain  is  godliness— rather, 
that  godliness  is  a  means  of  gain;  "a  way  of 
advancing  one's  worldly  interests"  (Fausset); 
"a  traffic  for  gain"  (Wordsworth);  "a  gain- 
ful trade"  (Conybeare).  The  proof  that  they 
are  bereft  of  the  truth  is  found  in  their  false 
and  debasing  conception  of  godliness,  or  relig- 
ion, as  something  to  be  used  only  for  mere 
earthly  welfare.  Their  unworthy  thought  of 
religion  proved  their  destitution  of  it.  (Acts 
8:20.)  They  valued  the  gospel  only  as  it  se- 
cured worldly  advantage  in  wealth  and  social 
distinction.  Probably  the  apostle  has  in  view: 
1.  Those  socialistic  agitators,  who  regarded 
the  gospel  simply  as  an  instrument  to  recon- 
struct society,  hy  rousing  the  animosities  of  the 
difftirent  classes  against  each  other,  and  fo- 
menting a  social  revolutiim.  through  which  all 
oppressive  distinctions  should  be  destroyed  by 
outward  violence;  and  who,  in  thus  viewing 
religion,  utterly  failed  to  apprehend,  alike  its 
spiritual  nature  and  aims,  and  its  method  of 
blessing  the  outward  condition  of  men  by  first 
elevating  and  ennobling  the  spiritual  condi- 
tion. 2.  Those  false  religious  professors,  who 
use  their  position  in  the  church  as  a  means  of 
worldly  advantage,  in  promoting  their  busi- 
ness, their  social  position,  or  their  political 
preferment.  (1  The«'<.  2  :  5;  xitus  1  :  11.)  In  both 
cases  such  a  debasing  conception  of  the  gospel 
proves  them  to  be  "men  corrupted  in  mind 


Ch.  VI.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


73 


6  But  godliness  with  contentment  is  great  gain. 

7  For  we   brought  nothing  into  this  world,  u/ui  il  is 
certain  we  can  carry  notliing  out. 

8  And  having  food  and  raiment,  let  us  be  therewith 
content. 


G  liness  is  a  way  of  gain.     But  go<lliness  with  conleut- 

7  nient  is  great  gain  :  lor  we  brought  nothing  into  the 

8  world,  lor  neither  can  we  carry  anything  out;  hut 
having  food  and  covering  i  we  shall  be  therewith 


1  Or,  in  thesR  we  shall  have  enough. 


luid  bereft  of  the  truth."  From  such  with- 
draw thyself.  These  words  are  wanting  in 
the  Siitaitic,  Alexandrian,  and  most  other  an- 
cient manuscripts,  as  also  in  mos^t  of  the  ver- 
sions ;  they  should  be  rejected  from  the  text, 
as  not  genuine. 

6-10.  Piety  with  Contentment  is  Great 
Gain. — This  is  shown— 1.  From  the  reason- 
ableness of  contentment,  in  tiiat  (a)  our  en- 
trance into  the  world  with  notliing  was  in- 
tended to  remind  us  that  we  can  carry  nothing 
out  of  it,  and  that  it  is  folly,  therefore,  to  be 
anxious  about  earthly  goods ;  {/>)  if  we  have 
food  and  covering,  all  our  real  needs  are  in 
fact  met.  (7,8.)  2.  From  the  evils  of  the  love 
of  money,  in  that  (a)  tliose  who  are  eager  for 
riches  fall  into  temptation  and  sin,  which  end 
in  their  destruction;  (3)  the  love  of  money  is 
a  root  from  wliich  springs  every  form  of  evil, 
and,  as  the  result  of  it,  some  have  destroyed 
alike  their  faith  and  their  happiness.      (9,  10.) 

6.  But — though  godliness  is  thus  miscon- 
ceived and  perverted  as  a  means  of  earthly 
gain,  yet  there  is  a  sense  in  which  it  is,  even 
in  this  life,  great  gain.  Godliness  with  con- 
tentment. The  word  rendered  'content- 
ment' signifies  self-sufficiency,  denoting  the 
state  of  one  who  has  wicliin  himself  the  means 
of  satisfying  all  his  desires,  and  is  not  depend- 
ent therefor  on  external  conditions.  It  is  ren- 
dered in  2  Cor.  9  :  8  "sufficiency."  The  adjec- 
tive is  found.  (Phii.4:ii.)  "I  have  learned  in 
wliatsoever  state  I  am,  therewith  to  be  con- 
tent"— or,  to  have  a  sufficiency  in  myself,  to 
be  independent  of  outward  circumstances. 
This  is  not  the  proud  independence  of  the 
stoic,  but  that  elevation  of  .soul  above  external 
earthly  conditions  which  comes  from  a  con- 
sciousness of  God's  presence  and  love,  and  all- 
sufficing  providence,  (ps.  2.3;  37:16-29;  ProT.  u:i4.) 
Is  great  gain.  Piety,  when  thus  an  all- 
sufficing  power  within  the  soul,  is  the  highest 
means  of  gain.  It  brings  the  absolute  riches, 
since  it  not  only  stitisfies  every  conscious  want, 
but  also  fills  the  soul  with  positive  blessedness. 
It  is  an  exhaustless  fountain  of  blessing  within, 
''a  well  of  water,  springing  u])  into  everlast- 


ing life."  See  Heb.  13  :  5,  6.  "The  heart, 
amid  every  outward  want,  is  then  only  truly 
rich,  not  merely  when  it  feels  no  need  of  what 
it  has  not,  but  when  it  has  that  which  exalts  it 
above  what  it  has  not."  (Wiesinger.)  "In 
this  concise  and  weighty  sentence  the  apostle 
expresses  both  these  main  ideas,  that  godliness 
makes  us  content,  and  to  be  content  is  the 
highest  good."     (Van  Oosterzee.j 

7.  For  we  brought  nothing  into  this 
world,  and  it  is  certain  we  can  carry 
nothing  out — or,  better,  because,  or,  seeing 
tkat,  neither  can  we  carry  anytliing  out;  a 
reason  for  contentment.  God  designed,  by 
our  coming  into  the  world  with  nothing,  to 
remind  us  that  we  can  carry  nothing  out  of  it, 
and  thus  show  us  the  folly  of  anxiety  respect- 
ing merely  earthly  goods.  The  very  manner 
of  our  birth  is  a  dissuasion  from  the  love  of 
mone^'-,  as  it  distinctly  shows  us  that  earthly 
wealth  is  a  mere  accident  of  our  existence,  a 
temporary  possession,  to  be  left  behind  when 
we  die.  "  We  are  appointed  by  God  to  come 
naked  into  the  world  to  teach  us  to  remember 
that  we  must  go  naked  out  of  it."  (Alford.) 
"Naked  came  I  out  of  my  mother's  womb, 
and  naked  shall  I  return  thither."  (J«bi:2i; 
Ecci.  5  :  15 ;  Ps.  49  :  16.20.)  Only  two  of  the  ancicnt 
manuscripts,  and  these  of  minor  importance, 
contain  it  is  evident  mxov),  the  most  important 
omitting  it.  Probably  it  was  added  by  some 
copyist  to  fill  out  his  conception  of  the  sense. 
Van  Oosterzee,  Huther,  and  others,  however, 
retain  it,  regarding  it  as  essential  to  the  sense, 
and  supposing  that  it  may  have  been  acci- 
dentally dropped  out  of  the  best  codices. 

8.  And  having  food  and  raiment,  let 
us  be  the-ewith  content.  Our  real  needs 
will  with  these  be  met.  '  Food  ' — the  word  is 
a  compound,  and  denotes  continual  or  svffi- 
cient  food.  'Raiment,'  covering  in  general; 
it  may  possibly  include  the  dwelling  as  well 
as  the  clothing.  It  is  not  barely  an  exhorta- 
tion to  be  content,  but  a  reason  for  content- 
ment, since,  if  we  have  food  and  covering,  we 
really  have  sufficient,  and,  therefore,  should 
be  content.     These  are  our  actual  needs ;  and, 


74 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  VI. 


9  But  they  that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and 
a  suare,  and  inlu  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts,  which 
drown  men  in  desiruction  and  perdition. 

10  For  the  love  of  mouej'  is  the  root  of  all  evil :  which 
while  some  coveted  after,  they  have  erred  from  the 
faith,  and  pierced  themselves  through  with  many  sor- 
rows. 


9  content.  But  they  that  are  minded  to  be  rich  fall 
into  a  temptation  and  a  snare  and  many  foolislj  and 
hurtful  lusts,  such  as  drown  men  in  destruction  and 
10  perdition.  I'or  the  love  of  money  is  a  root  of  all 
1  kinds  of  evil :  which  some  reaching  after  have 
been  led  astray  from  the  faith,  and  have  pierced 
themselves  through  with  many  sorrows. 


with  these  sufficed,  we  have  enough.  Com- 
pare Matt.  6  :  25;  James  2  :  15,  where  human 
wants  are  also  summed  up  in  food  and  cloth- 
ing. 

9.  But  they  that  will  be  rich — or,  set 
their  heart  on  being  rich.  It  designates,  not 
the  rich,  hut  those  who  aspire  after  riches,  who 
make  this  the  object  of  life.  "The  wealthiest 
may  be  rich  not  in  a  bad  sense;  the  poorest 
may  covet  to  be  so."  (Fausset.)  (Ps.6:io.) 
Fall  into  temptation — are  tempted  to  ne- 
glect the  highest  interests  of  the  soul  and  the 
duties  due  to  God,  and  to  use  improper  means 
to  obtain  wealtli.  (Prov.  a8:20, 22.)  And  a  snare 
— or,  trap.  The  eager  desire  of  riches  is  a 
net  in  which  they  beconie  entangled — a  net- 
work of  methods  and  relations  in  business  in 
which  the  soul,  as  tiie  fly  in  a  spider's  web,  is 
helplessly  held.  "The  idea  here  is  that  tiiey 
who  have  this  desire  become  so  entangled  that 
they  cannot  easily  escape.  They  become  in- 
volved in  the  meshes  of  worldliness  and  sin; 
their  movements  are  so  fettered  by  cares,  and 
inordinate  desires,  and  by  artificial  wants,  that 
they  are  no  longer  freemen."  (Barnes.) 
And  into  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts 
— the  passions  naturally  springing  out  of  sel- 
fishness become  regnant  in  them.  They 
become  envious,  overreaching,  avaricious, 
hard-hearted,  unscrupulous  as  to  truth  and 
the  rights  of  others.  Such  passions  are  '  fool- 
ish,' because  unworthj-  of  a  reasonable  and 
immortal  being,  and  because,  even  when  men 
thereby  secure  wealth,  tliey  do  not  obtain 
happiness.  They  are  'hurtful,'  because  they 
destroy  all  that  is  pure  and  noble  in  manhood, 
snd  insure  at  last  the  loss  of  the  soul.  Which 
(or,  such  as)  drown  men  in  destruction 
and  perdition.  Of  the  two  words,  the  latter, 
by  its  usage,   refers  more  directly  to  future 

punishment  (Rom.  9;  22;  PhU.  1  :28;  Rev.  8:  ll),   while 

the  former  may  include  also  temporal  de- 
struction    (1  Cor.  5:5;  1  Thess.  5:  3;  2Thess.  1  :9)  ;     but 

here  they  are  probably  not  distinct  in  mean- 
ing, but  cumulative  for  emphasis,  equivalent 
to  utter  destruction.     The  image  in  the  verb 


is  not  properly  of  drowning,  but  of  sinking — 
as  of  a  sltip  foundering,  which  sinks  and  is 
submerged  in  the  depths  of  the  sea.  These 
lusts  wreck  the  soul,  causing  it  to  sink,  with 
its  priceless  treasure,  into  the  depths  of  per- 
dition. "The  love  of  money  will,  in  all 
probability,  prove  the  eternal  overthrow  of 
more  characters  among  professing  Christians 
than  any  other  sin,  because  it  is  almost  tlie 
only  crime  that  can  be  indulged  and  a  profes- 
sion of  religion  at  the  same  time  sujiported." 
(Andrew  Fuller.) 

10.  For — a  reason  for  their  'destruction 
and  perdition.'  The  love  of  money  is  the 
(«)  root  of  all  evil^or,  all  evils,  nil  kinds  of 
evil.  It  is  not  said  that  it  is  the  only  root  of 
evil,  but  that  from  it  all  kinds  of  evil  may — 
and  do,  in  fact — spring.  It  is  a  germ,  a  prolific 
source  of  every  form  of  evil.  Which  (that 
is,  money)  while  some  coveted  after — 
literally',  stretched,  themselves  after.,  eagerly 
pressed  after.  Have  erred  (been  led  n.^tray) 
from  the  faith — that  is,  from  tlieir  Christian 
principles  as  well  as  from  the  true  doctrine  of 
the  gospel.  (1:6,19;  4  1-3.)  Moral  Wrong  and 
doctrinal  error  are  always  in  Paul  conceived 
as  conjoined  ;  the  loss  of  subjective  faith  in 
Christ  is  the  fountain  of  both.  On  the  sin 
and  folly  of  hoarding  earthly  wealth,  com- 
pare the  parable  of  the  rich  fool.  (Luke  12: 13-21.) 
And  have  pierced  themselves  through 
with  many  sorroAVS — as  a  sword  piercing 
through  the  .soul  (Luke2:35),  or  as  "the  thorns" 
of  the  parable  (Matt.  13:22).  It  refers,  perhaps, 
more  directly  to  the  pangs  of  conscience  which 
such  experience  in  view  of  their  sins,  but  not 
excluding  the  miseries  that  come  from  the 
conscious  loss  of  true  manhood  and  the  multi- 
plied anxieties  and  troubles  connected  with 
wealth  seeking.  The  lust  for  wealth  thus 
brings  the  double  loss,  of  faith  and  of  happi- 
ness. 

11-16.  Timothy  Chargkd,  as  a  Min- 
ister OF  God,  to  Pitrsuk  Higher  and 
Nobler  Ob.jects. — 1.  He  isexhorted:  [n)  To 
flee  a  self-seeking  worldliness,  and  follow  the 


Ch.  VI.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


75 


11  But  thou,  O  man  of  (iod,  flee  these  things;  and 
follow  aftfi-  righteousness,  godliness,  faith,  love, 
patience,  nuckness. 

12  l'i.:;ht  the  gcMiil  fight  of  faith,  lay  hold  on  eternal 
life,  whereiintii  thou  art  also  called,  and  hast  professed 
a  good  profession  hefore  many  witnesses. 

lo  1  give  lliee  charge  in  the  sight  of  (iod,  who  quick- 
eneth  all  things,  and  before  Christ  Jesus,  who  before 
Pontius  Pilate  witnessed  a  good  confession  ; 


11  Put  thnu,  O  man  of  God,  flee  these  things;  and 
follow    after    righteousness,    godliness,   faiih,    love, 

12  1  patience,  meekness.  Pight  the  good  light  of  the 
faith,  lay  hold  on  the  liie  eternal,  wheieiinto  ihou 
wast  called,  and  didst  confess  the  good  coufcssiou 

13  in  the  sight  of  many  witnesses.  I  charge  thee  in 
the  sight  of  God,  who  '-quickencth  all  things,  and  of 
Christ  Jesus,  who  hefore  Pontius  t'iiate  witnessed 


1  Or,  ated/aatnesa 2  Or,  preaerveth  all  thinga  ative. 


virtues  of  a  Christian  life;  (6)  to  maintain 
the  Christian  conflict,  seizing  with  his  eye  its 
glorious  end,  eternal  life;  and  to  this  he  is 
incited  by  his  divine  call  to  eternal  life  and 
his  public  profession  of  the  gospel.  (11,  12.) 
2.  (rt)  He  is  solemnly  charged,  as  in  the  sight 
of  God  and  of  Christ,  to  fulfill  his  mission 
with  all  purity  and  fidelity  until  the  appearing 
of  Christ,  which  God  will  bring  about  in  his 
own  appointed  times;  (6)  the  certainty  that 
God  will  bring  to  pass  Christ's  appearing  is 
shown  from  the  character  of  God,  as  almighty 
in  power  and  authority,  possessed  of  underived 
and  unfailing  life,  exalted  above  human  vision 
and  iipproacli,  and  worthy  of  honor  and  power 
everlasting.     (13-16  ) 

11.  But  thou — in  contrast  with  the  'some.' 
(ver.  10.)  O  man  of  God — the  usual  designation 
of  the  prophets,  (i  Sani.9 : 6;  1  Kings  17 :  18).  Here 
used  of  Timothy  as  one  dedictited  to  the  ser- 
vice of  God.  It  suggests  his  exalted  office 
and  tiiission  as  a  dissuasive  from  a  low,  selfish 
spirit  of  earthly  accumulation.  (2  Tim.  3:  n.) 
Flee  these  things— the  love  of  money  and 
the  manifiild  evils  which  attend  it.  But 
follow  after  righteousness,  godliness — 
the  former  denoting  rectitude,  uprightness  in 
the  life  toward  man;  the  latter,  piety  in  the 
life  toward  God.  Faith,  love — the  fontal 
sources  of  Christian  character  and  life.  Pa- 
tience, meekness — the  one  signifying  a 
steadfast  endurance  under  trials;  the  other, 
a  spirit  which  gently  bears  wrong  without 
resentment  and  retaliation.  The  last  is  the 
grace  "whose  active  side  is  loi>e  iiydjrri),  and 
its  passive  side  long-suffering  (^lOKpoSu/nia)." 
(Stier.)  (2 Tim.  2 : 22.)  'Meekness'— the  word, 
as  found  in  the  corrected  text,  is  stronger  than 
that  usually  rendered  meekness,  denoting,  in 
an  intensive  way,  gentleness,  or  tenderness  of 
feeling. 

Yl.  Fight  the  good  fight  of  faith— liter- 
ally, Contend  the  good  contest,  referring  to 
contests  in  the  games,  whether  boxing,  racing, 


or  other  forms  of  contest.  The  figure,  taken 
from  athletes  contending  in  the  Greek  games, 
was  a  common  and  favorite  one  with  Paul. 
See  1  Cor.  9  :  24-27;  Eph.  6  :  10-17;  Phil. 
3  :  12-14;  1  Tim.  1  :  18;  2  Tim.  4  :  7.  Lay 
hold  on  eternal  [the  everlasting)  life.  The 
eye  is  to  be  fixed  intently  on  the  glorious 
prize,  life  eternal,  to  animate  him  in  the  con- 
test. It  is  elsewhere  called  "the  crown  of 
life"  (James  1:12),  the  "unfading  crown  of 
glory"'  (1  Peters : 4).  "Fight  the  good  fight 
of  faith  ;  lay  hold  of  (in  and  by  that  fight) 
eternal  life."  (Winer.)  Whereunto  (ever- 
lasting life)  thou  art  also  called — referring 
to  his  calling  at  conversion.  Everlasting  life, 
not  earthly  wealth,  was  that  to  which,  in  be- 
coming a  Christian,  he  was  called.  And  bast 
professed  a  good  profession  (or,  confessed 
a  good  confession)  before  many  witnesses 
— alluding  to  the  well-known  public  confes- 
sion of  the  gospel  made  at  baptism.  The 
remembrance  that  he  was  called  by  God  to 
eternal  life,  and  that  in  the  most  public  man- 
ner he  had  made  confession  of  the  gospel, 
should  now  incite  him  to  maintain  the  glor- 
ious conflict  on  which  he  thus  entered,  not 
yielding  it  to  seek  mere  earthly  good. 

13.  I  give  thee  charge  in  the  sight  of 
God.  As  in  5  :  21,  the  apostle  here  represents 
God  and  the  spiritual  world  as  present  and 
witnessing  both  the  charge  given  and  the 
conduct  of  Timothy  in  his  high  ofl^ce.  Who 
quickeneth  all  things— and  who,  therefore, 
if  thou  art  put  to  death,  is  able  to  raise  thee 
up  in  the  resurrection  of  the  just.  Or,  accord- 
ing to  another  reading  (fwoyo^oOtTos), — which  is, 
perhaps,  equally  attested, — tvho  preserveth  in 
life  all  things;  and  who,  therefore,  as  omni- 
potent and  omnipresent,  is  able  to  protect  tliee 
in  a  courageous  defense  of  the  gospel.  (M»ti. 
io:29.3.'j.)  For  this  latter  word,  compare  Luke 
17  :  33;  Acts  7  :  19.  It  is  adopted  as  the  true 
reading  here  by  Alford,  Tischendorf,  VVcst- 
cott  and  Hort,  and  most  editors.     And  be- 


76 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  VL 


14  That  tliou  keep  this  commandment  without  spot, 
uuiebukablc,  uuiil  tUe  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ : 

15  Wliich  in  his  times  he  shall  shew,  who  is  the 
blessed  and  only  Potentate,  the  King  of  kings,  aud 
liOi'd  of  lords ; 


14  the  good  confession  ;  tliat  thou  keep  the  command- 
ment,  without    spot,   wiilioiit    repriiacli,   until    tlie 

15  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Clirist:  which  in  'its 
own  times  he  .'^liall  shew,  wlio  is  the  blessed  and 
only  Potentate,  the   King  of  -  kings,  and   Lord  of 


1  Or,  his 'I  Gr.  them  that  reign  as  kings. 


fore  Christ  Jesus,  who  before  Pontius 
Pilate   witnessed    a    good    confession  — 

referring  to  Christ's  testimony  before  Pilate, 
where  he  bore  witness  to  his  person  and  his 
redemptive  work  ( John  is :  ss-as ;  i9:8-ii),  and  then 
sealed  tlie  testimony  with  his  blood.  The 
design  is  to  inspire  Timothy  with  boldness  in 
his  great  office  as  an  ambassador  for  Christ, 
by  presenting  at  once  the  sure  basis  of  the 
gospel  in  Christ's  solemn  attestation  of  its 
trutli,  and  the  sublime  example  of  its  confes- 
sion by  Christ,  even  wlien  in  peril  of  death. 
"Christ  died,  not  only  as  a  Sacrifice,  but  as  a 
Martj'r;  and  he  witnessed  a  good  confession 
when  he  was  arraigned  before  Pilate,  saying, 
'My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world;  I  am 
come  to  bear  witness  of  the  truth.'  "  (Henry.) 
'  Witnessed,'  testified  to  it,  confirming  the 
certainty  of  the  tilings  confessed  by  himself 
milking  the  confession.  '  A  good  confession.' 
The  public  confession  made  by  each  Ciiristian 
in  his  baptism  is,  for  substance,  the  same  which 
Christ  himself  made,  since  it  involves  the  same 
testimony  to  his  person  and  work,  and  ac- 
knowledges him  as  King. 

14.  That  thou  keep  this  commandment 
— meaning,  not  some  special  command,  but 
the  charge,  or  dtity,  laid  on  him  as  a  minister, 
especially  as  related  to  the  gospel  committed  to 
himandto  his  work  in  Ephesus.  (i  :  is.)  With- 
out spot,  unrebukable — words  which  maj' 
be  referred  grammatically,  either  to  'thou'  or 
to 'eommmandment,'  but  seem  most  naturally 
to  belong  th  the  latter.  This  charge,  then,  as 
a  treasure,  or  a  priceless  jewel,  he  is  to  keep 
unstained  and  loithout  reproach;  a  figure  in 
which  Timothy  is  enjoined  so  to  conduct  him- 
self in  his  sacred  office  that,  before  God  and 
man,  the  office  shall  appear  in  its  true  moral 
purity  and  lustre,  unmarred  by  defects  which 
shall  obscure  its  dignity  and  w<prth,  and  thus 
weaken  its  power.  Until  the  appearing  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ — the  visible  manifes- 
tation of  Christ  at  his  Second  Coming,  which 
in  the  New  Testament  is  so  often  placed  in  the 
foreground  as  ttie  glorious  goal  of  the  Chris- 
tian Dispensation.     See  Matt.  25  :  31 ;  Acts  1  : 


10,  11 ;  1  Cor.  1:8;  Phil.  1  :  6-10;  2  Tim.  4  : 
1;  Titus  2:13.  The  very  greatness  of  the 
event  made  it  seem  near,  like  some  vast  moun- 
tain, which,  as  it  lifts  its  lofty  summit  above 
the  horizon,  though  actually  distant,  yet  from 
its  magnitude  seems  within  a  day's  journey. 
That  Paul,  however,  did  not  assume  to  know 
the  time  of  Christ's  Second  Coming  appears 
from  the  expression  below,  '  in  his  own  times,' 
wliich  refers  it  to  the  as  yet  unrevealed 
"times  or  seasons,  which  the  Father  has  put 
in  his  own  power"  (Acts  i: 7);  and  that  he  did 
not  regard  the  'appearing'  as  immediately 
imminent  is  plain  from  Rom.  11  :  23-32;  2 
Thess.  2  :  1-12,  where  he  predicts  the  events 
which  must  precede  it,  as,  indeed,  is  also  nec- 
essarily implied  in  Eph.  2  :  7.  Compare  Col. 
1  : '26,  where  he  speaks  of  the  ages  (diui/es)  of 
the  New  Dispensation  as  the  ages  to  come, 
implying  a  series  of  ages  to  be  unfolded  dur- 
ing the  Christian  period.  For  'the  appear- 
ing' (e7ri<i)ai'eca),  compare  2  Tiiess.  2  :  18.  The 
other  words  used  to  denote  the  Second  Com- 
ing are  revelation  {aitoKa.\v\j/i^),  and  presence  or 
coming  (vrapov<TU) ;  the  word  here  emphasizes 
the  visibility  and  glory  of  it,  as  a  manifesta- 
tion of  the  now  invisible  mtijesty  and  power 
of  the  God-Man. 

15.  Which  in  his  times  he  shall  show — 
or,  which  (manifestation)  in  his  own  (ap- 
pointed) titnes  he  shall  cause  to  appear.  The 
events  of  redemption  are  everywhere  repre- 
sented as  taking  place  "in  due  time,"  or  ac- 
cording to  an  order  and  time  appointed  by  the 
Father  (Gai.  6  :  9;  tuus  i  :  s) ;  and  the  time  of 
Christ's  Second  Coming  is  especially  said  to 
be  known  only  by  the  Father,  and  to  be  under 

his  special  power.       (Mark  13  :  aa ;  Acts  1  :  6,  7.)      Tliis 

verse,  therefore,  and  the  following,  seem 
clearly  descriptive  of  God  the  Father,  and  the 
divinity  of  Christ  is  shown  here  only  from  the 
fact  that  the  same  works  and  attributes  are  in 
other  passages  ascribed  also  to  him.  "His 
oiim  (fitting)  times — the  plural  implies  succes- 
sive stages  in  the  manifestation  of  the  king- 
dom of  God,  eacli  having  its  own  appropriate 
time,  the  regulating  principle  and  knowledge 


Ch.  VL] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


77 


16  Wlio  only  liath  immortality,  dwelling  in  the  light     16  'lords;    who  only    hath    immortality,  tlwelling  in 


which  no  muu  can  approach  unto  ;  whom  no  man  hath 
seen,  nor  can  see;  to  whom  be  honour  and  power  ever- 
lasting.    Amen. 

17  Charge  them  that  are  rich  in  this  world,  that  they 
be  not  highminded,  nor  trust  in  uncertain  riches,  but 
in  the  liviug  God,  who  giveih  us  richly  all  things  to 
enjoy ; 


light  uiiapproacliable;  whom  no  man  hath  seen,  nor 
can  see:  to  whom  be  honour  and  power  eternal. 
Amen. 

Cliarge  them  that  are  rich  in  this  present  '  world, 
that  they  be  not  highminded,  nor  have  their  hope 
set  on  the  uucertaiuty  of  vicnes,  but  on  Cjod,  who 


1  Gr.  tUem  that  rule  as  lords. . ... .2  Or,  age. 


of  which  rests  with  the  Father."  (Fausset.) 
Who  is  the  blessed  and  only  Potentate. 

This  and  the  following  clauses  are  appositive 
ill  the  Greelv,  defining  and  unfolding  the  sub- 
ject of  the  preceding  verb,  'shall  shew'; 
'which  he' — namely,  the  blessed  and  only 
Potentate — shall  shew.  'The  only  Potentate' 
— "the  only  One  in  the  universe  possessed  of 
independent  right  and  absolute  sovereignty." 
(Fairbairn. )  His  almighty  power  and  univer- 
i-al  authority'  are  emphasized,  because  of  the 
transcendeiit  greatness  of  the  event  he  'shall 
shew' — namely,  Chri-st's  Second  Appearing, 
with  its  attending  events,  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  the  new  heavens  and  new  earth,  the 
final  judgment,  the  glorification  of  the  re- 
deemed church,  and  the  perdition  of  the  un- 
godly. On  the  attributes  'blessed'  and  'only,' 
compare  the  usage,  1  :  11,  17;  John  17:  3. 
The  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords — 
expressive  of  his  sovereign  authority  and  rule, 
especially  as  exercised  in  the  aflfairs  of  this 
world.  Kings  and  senates  hold  their  authority 
only  under  his  sovereign  dominion,     (ps.  2.) 

16.  Who  only  hath  immortality — unde- 
rived,  essential  life,  as  distinguished  from  cre- 
ated and  consequently  mutable  and  destruct- 
ible life.  Creatures  are  imnKjrtal  only  from 
the  free  gift  of  God.  Tiieir  life  is  derived,  but 
his  is  underived,  original,  uncreated.  "The 
Father  hath  life  in  himself,"  and  possesses  thus 
an  absolute  immortality.  (John  5: 26.)  The  at- 
tributes here  ascribed  to  the  Father  are  also 
predicated  of  the  Son.     Thus,  almighty  power 

(Isa.  9  :  6;  Matt.  28  :  18;   Rev.  1:8);     universal    SOVCr- 

eighty  (coi.  2 ;  lo;  Rev.  k:  u;  19  :  13) ;  immortality, 
or  essential  and  fontal  life.  (Joim  i:4;  5:26.) 
Dwelling  in  the  light  which  no  man  can 
approach  unto.  He  dwells  in  light,  which 
as  an  atmosphere  envelopes  him,  and  to  whose 
dazzling  brightness  no  creature  can  approach. 
"Thou  coverest  thyself  with  light  as  with  a 

garment."        (Ps.   104  :  2;    Dan.  T  :  9,    10;    I  John    1   :  5.) 

Whom  no  man  hath  seen,  nor  can  see — 

or,  whom  no  one  of  men  (ever)  saw.^  or  can  see. 


God,  in  his  essential  being,  is  invisible.  He  is 
"the  invisible  God,"  hidden  in  the  depths  of 
accessless  light,  probably,  from  all  created 
beings.  (1  :  w;  coi.  i:ia;  Ht-b.  11 : 27.)  "  No  man 
hath  seen  God  at  any  time ;  the  only  begotten 
Son,  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he 
hath  declared  him."  (John  i:  is.)  The  vision 
of  God,  however,  is  in  some  sense  promised  to 
the  saints  (compare  Matt.  5  :  8;  1  Cor.  13  :  12; 
1  John  3:2;  Kev.  22  :  4) ;  but  such  vision  can 
never  be  complete  sight,  since  in  the  nature 
of  things  the  finite  can  never  perfectly  com- 
prehend the  Infinite.  To  whom  be  honour 
and  power  everlasting.  Amen — that  is,  to 
whom,  (as  alone  in  himself  worthy,  and  to 
whom  only  they  properly  belong)  let  honor 
and  power  everlasting  be  ascribed.  'Amen;'  an 
emphatic  word,  emphasizing  the  prayer  in  the 
doxology ;  even  so  may  honor  and  power  be 
truly  ascribed  to  him.  See  Rom.  11  :  38-36; 
1  Tim.  1  :  17;  1  Peter  4  :  11;  Jude  25;  Rev. 
1:6;  5:13. 

17-19.  A  Charge  TOR  THE  Rich.— Resum- 
ing here  the  general  subject  of  ver.  6-10,  the 
apostle,  as  he  had  there  spoken  of  those  desir- 
ing to  be  rich,  now  directed  Timothy  to  give  a 
.special  charge  to  those  who  are  rich  :  1.  To 
avoid  pride  and  a  false  trust  in  earthly  wealth, 
and  rather  to  place  their  trust  <>n  God,  by 
whom  all  good  is  given,  not  to  be  selfishly 
hoarded,  but  to  be  enjoyed.  (17.)  2.  To 
make  use  of  their  wealth  in  blessing  others, 
and  thus,  by  treasuring  therefrom  a  good  foun- 
dation for  the  future,  lay  hold  on  the  true 
life.    (18,  19.) 

17.  Charge  them  that  are  rich  in  this 
world.  Ephe.sus  was  a  city  noted  for  its  great 
wealth.  Chri.<tianity  had  profoundly  moved 
all  classes  there,  as  is  clearly  indicated  in  the 
events  recorded  in  Acts  19;  especially  in  the 
mob  raised  by  Demetrius  and  his  fellow  crafts- 
men, because  "not  alone  at  Ephesus,  but  al- 
most throughout  all  Asia,"  Paul  had  "turned 
away  much  people,"  thus  bringing  their  trade 
in  the  shrines  of  Diana  into  disrepute,  and 


78 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  VL 


IS  That  they  do  good,  that  they  be  rich  in  good 
works,  ready  lo  di.-itribute,  willing  to  couiiuunieate; 

19  Laying  up  in  store  for  tlieniselves  a  good  founda- 
tion iigaiusl  the  time  to  come,  that  they  may  lay  hold 
ou  eternal  hie. 


18  giveth  us  richly  all  things  to  enjoy;  that  they  do 
good,  that  they  be  rich  in  good  works,  that  they  be 

19  rea(iy  to  distribute,  '  willing  to  communicate;  lay- 
ing up  ill  store  for  themselves  a  good  foundation 
against  the  lime  to  come,  that  they  may  lay  hold  on 
the  life  which  is  life  indeed. 


1  Or,  ready  to  aympathiae. 


putting  a  stop  to  their  gains.  Evidently  some 
wealthy  persons  had  already  entered  the 
church.  Ministers  are  in  great  danger  from 
an  undue  deference  to  the  rich,  of  failing  to 
deal  plainly  with  them;  Paul,  therefore,  lays 
special  injunction  on  Timothy  to  set  distinctly 
before  them,  alike  the  serious  perils  and  the 
blessed  possibilities  of  wealth.  If  rightly 
used,  it  may  be  transmuted  into  enduring, 
heavenly  riches  and  made  means  of  attaining 
the  true  and  real  life.  That  they  be  not 
highmiuded— ''that  they  do  not  carry  them- 
selves hauglitilj'."  (Bloomfield. )  A  special 
danger'of  the  rich.  (Eom.i2:i6.)  Nor  trust  in 
uncertain  riches  —  better,  nor  have  their 
hope  fixed  on  the  uncertainty  of  riches.  Un- 
certainty is  the  conspicuous  quality  in  earthly 
wealth,  and  the  apostle  is,  therefore,  "hyper- 
bolically  representing  the  hope  as  reposed  on 
the  very  quality  of  riches  which  least  justified 
it."  (Alford.)  A  hope  fixed  on  riches  is  fixed 
on  an  uncertainty.  See  Ps.  62  :  10;  Prov.  11: 
28;  23  :  5;  Jer.  9  :  23;  Matt.  6  :  19,  20;  Mark 
10:24.  But  in  the  living  God.  fPs.37:37, 
16-26.)  The  word  'living,'  which  is  wanting  in 
the  best  manuscripts,  was  interpolated  prob- 
ably from  4  :  10.  Who  giveth  us  richly  ail 
things  to  enjoy — nr.  for  eyijoyjnent.  Instead 
of  being  eager  for  riches,  or  vain  in  the  pos- 
session of  them,  they  should  set  their  hope  on 
God,  since  it  is  he  who  is  furnishing  richly  all 
things,  and  that,  not  as  a  stimulant  to  pride  or 
hoarding,  but  as  a  means  of  enjoyment.  "To 
enjoy,  not  to  rest  our  hearts  on."  ( Wiesinger.) 
See  Eccl.  5:  18,  19;  2  Peter  1  :  3. 

18.  That  they  do  good— the  purpose  God 
has  in  giving  all  things  richly  to  them.  It  is 
that  they  live  lives  of  holy  beneficence,  as 
God  himself  (P».ii9:fi8i  acisumt),  or,  as  Christ, 
"wlio  went  about  doing  good."  (Acts  lo  :  ss.) 
This  is  the  grand  opportunity  God  gives  to 
the  rich;  they  may  transmute  this  mere 
earthly  and  perishable  wealth  into  the  true 
and  imperishable  riches.  That  they  be  rich 
in  good  works — or,  in  vohle deeds;  that  they 
use  their  wealth  in  noble  deeds,  and  thus  ac- 


quire the  enduring,  eternal  wealth.  (Lni!ei2: 
21, 33;  James  6:5.)     Ready   to    distri bute— /rcc 

in  giving ;  opposed  to  those  wlio,  clinging  to 
their  wealth,  give  grudgingly;  for  "God  lov- 
eth  a  cheerful  giver."  (2Cor.9:7.)  Willing  to 
communicate — ready  to  make  others  sharers 
of  their  earthly  good;  opposed  to  such  as, 
without  practical  sj'mpatliy  for  others'  need, 
are  using  wetilth  only  for  self  See  Luke  3  : 
11;  Gal.  6:6;  Eph.  4  ;  28;  Heb.  13  :  16. 
"Our  houses  are  built,  our  vine^'ards  are 
planted,  around  the  base  of  a  volcano.  They 
may  be  fairand  flourishing  to-day — to-morrow 
ashes  may  be  all  that  remains.  Open  your 
hands  wide  then,  while  they  contain  any 
blessings  to  bestow;  for  of  that  which  you 
give  you  can  never  be  deprived."  {Pa3'son.) 
19.  L.ayinR  up  in  store  for  themselves 
a  good  foundation  against  the  time  to 
come — or.  Laying  up  for  themselves,  as  a 
treasure  therefrom  (namely,  from  deeds  of 
benevolence),  a  good  foundation  (an  jidequate 
ground,  or  basis  of  expectiition)/o»'  the  future. 

(ProT.  II  :  24,  25  ;  13  :  17  ;  Luke  6  :  46-49.)        Two    tllOUghtS 

are  contained  in  this  concise  statement:  1. 
From  such  deeds  of  benevolence  they  are 
accumulating  a  treasure;  not,  in  the  sense  of 
the  Romish  Church,  a  treasure  of  merit,  but, 
in  the  sense  of  Christ  (Matt.  e-.  19, 20),  a  treasure 
consisting  in  a  holy  character  ft)rmed  by  the 
exercise  of  unselfish  and  holy  dispositions, 
and  in  deeds  of  mercy,  which  Christ  will 
recognize  at  the  last  day  as  done  unto  him 
(Matt.  10:42;  25:40),  and  which  shall  also,  of  "the 
mammon  of  unrighteousness,"  make  friends 
who  will  welcome  them  into  "the  everlast- 
ing habitations"  (i.ukcie:  s;  Actsio:4).  Earthly 
wealth,  thus  transmuted  into  heavenly'  riches, 
is  gathered  as  an  indestructible  treasure  await- 
ing the  soul  in  the  future  world.  2.  This 
treasure,  thus  gathered,  forms  a  good  founda- 
tion in  reference  to  the  future.  Not  the  meri- 
torious foundation  of  a  sinner's  acceptance 
with  God, — this  is  always  and  only  the  re- 
deeming work  of  Christ, — but  the  foundation 
for  the  rewards  of  grace  that  God  has  promised 


Ch.  VI.] 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


79 


20  O  Timothy,  keep  that  which  is  eoiniuitted  to  thy  I 
trust,  avoiding'  profane  uiid  vain  babblings,  and  opposi- 
tions of  science  falsely  so  called :  | 


20  O  Timothy,  guard  'that  which  is  committed  unto 
thee,  turning  away  Irom  the  jjiofane  babblings  and 
oppositions  of  the   knowledge   which   is   faUely  so 


1  Gr.  the  depotit. 


to  his  people.  For,  altliough  salviition  is  all 
of  unmerited  grace,  yet  everywhere  in  Scrip- 
ture, rewards,  temporal  and  eternal,  are  prom- 
ised to  Christians  as  the  recompense  of  holy 
dispositions  exercised  and  good  works   done 

(Miirk  10  :  28-30  ;  Rev.  2  :  lO)  ;    and  tlus,  bccaUSC  OUt  of 

a  holy  character  and  life  flows,  as  a  moral 
necessitj',  blessedness  here  and  hereafter;  for 
such  a  life  is  in  harmony  with  God's  character 
and  government,  and  all  the  forces  of  the 
universe,  therefore,  must  "work  together  for 
good"  to  him  who  lives  it.  (Rom. 8:28.)  A  holy 
character,  fruitful  in  holy  deeds,  thus  forms 
'  a  good  foundation,'  both  as  to  the  preparation 
f  )r,  and  the  basis  of,  a  blessed  future.  (Matt. 
7:24,25.)  That  they  may  lay  hold  on  eter- 
nal life — or.  That  they  may  ("as  it  were, 
setting  foot  on  this  foundation  "),  lay  hold  on 
that  which  is  indeed  life,  or,  that  which  is 
truly  life.  The  object  in  treasuring  up  a  good 
foundation  is  that  thus  they  may  lay  hold  of, 
or  seize,  that  which  is  really  life ;  for  it  is  pre- 
cisely in  exercising  these  holy,  benev(.)lent 
dispositions  that  they  attain  the  true  life. 
Holy,  beneficent  living  is  the  real  or  eternal 
life,  which  thus  has  its  imperfect  beginnings 
here,  but  will  reicli  its  perfection  in  heaven  ; 
and  they  who  thus  live,  by  the  holy  character 
they  ft)rm  and  the  deeds  of  mercy  they  work, 
are  laying  hold  of  the  real  life.  Its  begin- 
nings here  are  "a  good  foundation"  for  con- 
fidence of  its  completeness  there.  (Mati.25:2i, 
29,S4.40;  i.uke  19 :  17, 26.)  "  The  attain iTient  of  a  true 
life  is  thus  the  highest  end  which  the  rich 
must  seek  by  the  wise  and  worthy  use  of  his 
wealth."  (Van  Oosterzee.)  "Whoso  builds 
on  the  changeable  must  needs  be  lost;  but 
whoso  builds  on  the  immortal,  changeless, 
God  lives  in  his  life,  his  wealth,  and  shall 
share  his  eternity."  (Von  Gerlach.)  'Eternal.' 
Instead  of  this  the  best  text  has  really  (ofTus), 
that  which  is  really  life;  the  contrast  is  thus 
between  selfish,  worldly  living  as  not  real  life, 
and  unselfish,  beneficent  living  as  that  which 
is  true  life,  in  its  proper  idea  and  end.  The 
natural,  selfish,  worldly  man  exists,  but  does 
not  live;  only  the  spiritual,  redeemed  man, 
who  is  like  him  "  who  went  about  doing  good," 
has  the  real  and  enduring  life.     (ps.  le :  a.)         | 


ao,  31.  Solemn  Closing  Charge  to 
Timothy,  enjoining  him  to  keep  the  sacred 
trust  of  the  gospel  committed  to  him,  and  to 
avoid  those  foolish  and  destructive  errors 
through  which  some  had  already  turned 
away  from  the  faith;  and  closing  with  the 
invoeation  of  God's  grace  on  him. 

20.  O  Timothy— an  addressspecially  direct 
and  earnest,  as  introducing  the  closing  exhor- 
tation, in  which  the  substance  of  the  Epistle 
is  gathered  up  and  emphasized.  Keep  that 
which  is  committed  to  thy  trui^t.  The 
phrase,  'that  which  .  .  .  trust,'  is  one  word 
in  the  Greek  (jrapaeijKri),  and  signifies  a  deposit 
— that  which  has  been  deposited  with  another 
for  safe  keeping.  Thus  2  Tim.  1  :  12,  "He  is 
able  to  keej)  that  which  I  have  committed  unto 
him  against  that  day."  Here,  as  also  2  Tim. 
1  :  14,  it  means  the  gospel,  that  "sound  doc- 
trine," which  had  been  committed  to  Timothy 
to  preserve  in  its  purity  and  to  publish  to  men. 
Others,  as  Calvin,  De  Wette,  Huther,  regard 
it  as  referring  to  the  ministerial  office;  but  it 
is  evident  that  he  is  to  keep,  or  guard,  this 
trust  by  "avoiding"  false  doctrine,  wliich  cer- 
tainly suggests  that  the  trust  referred  to  is  the 
pure  doctrine,  the  gospel  as  committed  by 
Christ  to  the  ministry.  "  '  The  deposit,'  saith 
he,  '  do  thou  keep.'  The  talent  of  the  catholic 
faith  preserve  thou  inviolate  and  unimpaired. 
What  has  been  intrusted  to  thee,  let  this  re- 
main with  thee;  let  this  be  handed  down  by 
thee.  Gold  thou  hast  received  ;  gold  do  thou 
return."  (Vincentius,  A.  d.  434. )  Avoiding 
profane  and  vain  babblings  and  opposi- 
tions— or,  "dialectic  antitheses."  The  ad- 
jective 'profane'  belongs  to  botli  nouns.  Of 
science  falsely  so  called — or,  Of  that 
lohich  is  falsely  nayned  Joioioledge.  Knowl- 
edge (Ffwo-is)  was  one  of  the  spiritual  gifts 
belonging  to  the  apostolic  age,  by  which  in. 
spired  insight  was  given  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
into  the  meaning  of  Old  Testament  Scripture 
and  into  the  profound  truths  of  the  gospel. 
(1  Cor.  1 : 5;  12:8;  1.1:2,  8.)  Men  had  already  rlsen 
professing  to  possess  this  charism.,  who  only 
counterfeited  it,  and  whose  teaching  consisted 
largely  in  empty  verbiage  and  artfully-drawn 
distinctions,  relating  to  subjects  of  which  we 


80 


I.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  VI. 


21  Which  some  professing  have  erred  concerning  the  '  21  called  ;  which  some  professing  have  i  erred  concern- 
faith.    Grace  be  with  thee.    Amen.  j        iug  the  faith. 

I  (.irace  be  with  you. 


1  Gr.  Tnissed  the  mark. 


can  have  no  actual  knowledge,  (coi.  2:8,  is,  23.) 
Out  of  this  pretended  higher  knowledge,  or 
secret  wisdom,  doubtless  arose  in  the  following 
century' the  various  systems  called  Gnosticism. 
Such  speculations  would  naturally  find  in  the 
semi-oriental  population  of  Ephesus  many  fol- 
lowers. But  from  these  Timothy  is  to  turn 
away,  and  thus  keep  inviolate  and  unimpaired 
the  sacred  trust  committed  to  him. 

21.  Which  ('science  falsely  so  called')  some 
professing  have  erred  concerning  the 
faith.  'Erred' — literally,  missed  the  mark, 
swerved  from,  (i:  6;  2  Tim.  2:  is.)  Misled  by 
these  vain  speculations,  they  had  missed  the 
mark,  had  turned  away  from  the  truth  of  the 
gospel ;  and  the  disastrous  result  of  such  teach- 
ings is  held  up  as  a  solemn  warning  to  Tim- 
othy. Grace  be  with  thee.  Rather,  The 
grace  (the  well-known  grace  which  God  gives) 


he  with  thee.  Some  important  manuscripts, 
as  the  Sinaitic  and  Alexandrian,  read  unth 
you.\i)  the  plural,  thus  including  the  church 
in  the  benediction.  This  also  is  the  accepted 
reading  of  2  Tim.  4  :  22.  Amen — a  doubtful 
reading,  rejected  from  the  text  by  most  editors. 
The  subscription  to  the  Epistle — which  in 
the  different  manuscripts  is  greatly  varied, 
both  in  substance  and  in  form — has  no  claim 
to  genuineness.  It  was  added  at  a  later  pe- 
riod, and,  in  the  form  found  in  the  Common 
Version,  was  appended,  probably,  on  the  mis- 
taken supposition  that  this  was  "the  epistle 
from  Laodicea,"  referred  to  in  Col.  4  :  16.  The 
Roman  province  of  "  Phrygia  Pacatiana" 
was  not  created  till  after  the  fourth  century, 
a  fact  which  shows  the  late  date  of  this  sub- 
scription. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO 

TIMOTHY.    . 


WHEN  AND  TO   WHAT  PLACE  WRITTEN. 

The  martyrdom  of  Paul,  as  already  seen,  probably  occurred  in  the  summer,  A.  D.  68. 
This  Epistle  was  written  not  long  before  that  event,  in  a  dungeon  at  Home,  during  an 
interval  between  his  trial  before  the  Imperial  Court  on  the  first  cliarge,  and  liis  trial  on  the 
second,  which  resulted  in  his  condemnation.  The  Epistle,  therefore,  may  be  dated  early 
in  the  fall,  A.  D.  67. 

Whether  it  was  addressed  to  Timothy  at  Ephesus  is  uncertain,  but  several  circum- 
stances point  strongly  to  that  place.  "Alexander  the  coppersmith"  is  mentioned 
(4 :  14).  and  an  Alexander  is  noticed  as  put  forward  by  the  Jews  in  the  theatre  at 
Ephesus.  (Acts  19  :  33.)  A  Hymeneus  is  referred  to  (2  :  17),  who  may  have  been  the 
same  as  the  Hymeneus  spoke  of  as  at  Elphesus.  (1  Tim.  1  :  20. )  Onesiphorus  is 
mentioned  as  having  ministered  to  the  apostle  at  Ephesus  (1  :  18),  while  "  the  houseliold 
of  Onesiphorus"  are  among  those  to  whom  salutations  are  sent.  (4  :  19.)  The  heretical 
teachers  and  their  doctrines  as  presented  in  this  Epistle  have  a  marked  similarity  to  those 
in  the  First  Epistle,  which  was  certainly  addressed  to  Ephesus.  The  local  notices,  in 
general,  agree  best  with  the  supposition  that  Timothy  was  tlien  in  that  city  ;  and  the 
preponderance  of  judgment  among  scholars  has  always  favored  this  view. 

OCCASION  AND   PURPOSE. 

The  apostle  was  now  a  prisoner,  held  as  "  a  malefactor,"  and  undergoing  the  name- 
less horrors  of  a  Roman  dungeon  ;  while  in  near  prospect  appeared  the  end  of  his  course 
in  a  martyr's  death.  He  desired,  therefore,  to  see  once  more  this  loved  and  trusted 
fellow-laborer,  and  impart,  if  possible  face  to  fiice,  his  dying  instructions.  Most  of  his 
friends  and  disciples,  appalled  by  the  terrors  of  the  Neronian  persecution,  were  scattered 
from  him  ;  so  that,  at  his  first  hearing  before  the  Imperial  Tribunal,  lie  stood  unbefriendod 
and  alone.  He  might  well,  therefore,  like  his  Lord  when  about  to  suffer,  feel  the  need 
of  human  sympathy,  especially  such  as  the  presence  of  this  ever-faithful  friend  would 
afford.  Hence,  he  urges  Timothy  to  hasten  his  coming  to  Rome  ;  but  lest  the  di.sciple 
should  reach  the  city  too  late,  and  he  should  see  him  no  .iipre  on  earth,  the  apostle  writes 
to  him  special  directions  and  solemn  warnings  respecting  the  duties  and  dantrors  of  the 
Christian  ministry,  and  charges  him  to  exercise  his  sacred  office  with  holy  self-devotion 
and  unswerving  fidelity.  To  animate  him  in  such  a  career,  he  first  appeals  to  Christ's 
unchanging  faithfulness  to  his  faithful  servants,  as  seen  in  his  own  case,  when  he 
stood  before  the  Imperial  Court,  where  all  men  forsook  "  him,"  nevertheless  the  Lord 
stood  with  "him,"  and  strengthened  "him,"  and  then  holds  up  "  the  crown  of  life, 
which  the  Lord,  the  Righteous  Judge,"  shall  bestow  on  all  wlu)  serve  him  at  the  lust 

F  81 


82     INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  TIMOTHY. 


day.  The  Epistle,  while  thus  admirably  serving  its  immediate  ptirpose,  stands  through 
all  the  ages  as  the  dying  charge  of  Paul  to  the  Christian  ministry,  to  warn,  to  guide,  and 
to  inspire  them  in  the  noblest  of  earthly  vocations. 

THE   CONTENTS. 

This  last  of  the  Pauline  Epistles,  issuing  from  the  dungeon  of  the  aged  and  worn 
apostle,  is  marvelous  in  the  thoughtfulness,  tenderness,  and  wealth  of  affection  that  it 
exhibits ;  but,  like  the  other",  it  has  no  premeditated  plan.  The  topics  occur  as  they 
welled  up  in  the  fruitful  mind  and  large  heart  of  Paul.  The  following  is  a  general  out- 
line. 

Chapter  First. — Salutation  and  invocation  (1,  2)  ;  expression  of  his  gratitude  to  God 
for  the  faith  of  Timothy  (3-5)  ;  Timothy  is  exhorted  to  a  fearless  faith  in  the  exercise  of 
his  ministry  (6-12)  ;  admonition  to  an  unswerving  adherence  to  the  apostle's  doctrine, 
and  fidelity  to  the  ministerial  trust  (13-18). 

Chapter  Second. — Necessity  of  being  filled  with  the  power  which  comes  from  the 
grace  of  Christ  (1,  2) ;  exhortation  to  endure,  with  Paul,  hardship  for  the  gospel,  with  the 
manner  and  motives  of  such  faithful  endurance  (3-13)  ;  directions  respecting  his  spirit 
and  conduct  as  a  Christian  teacher,  especially  in  dealing  with  disturbing  and  heretical 
tendencies,  believing  that,  in  all  changes,  the  foundation  of  God  stands  sure,  and  the  pure 
gospel  shall  in  the  end  triumph  (14-26). 

Chapter  Third. — Troublous  times  predicted  in  the  last  days,  with  a  description  of 
those  who  fall  away,  and  warning  against  them  (1-9)  ;  exhortation  and  motives  to  stead- 
fastness in  these  perils,  especially  from  the  certainty  and  fullness  of  God's  word  (10-17). 

Chapter  Fourth. — Solemn  charge  to  fidelity  and  earnestness  in  the  ministry,  especially 
in  view  of  the  imminence  of  defections  from  the  faith,  and  of  the  apostle's  removal  from 
earth  (1-8) ;  Timothy  urged  to  hasten  his  coming  to  Rome,  with  various  directions  and 
warnings  (9-15);  account  of  Paul's  first  defense  before  the  Imperial  Court  (16-18); 
various  salutations,  with  the  benediction  (19-22). 


THE  SECOND  EPISTLE  TO  TIMOTHY. 


CHAPTER  I. 


PAUL,  an  aposUe  of  Jesus  Christ  by  the  will  of  God, 
according  to  the  promise  of  life  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus, 

2  To  Timothy, »ty  dearly  beloved  son:  Grace,  mercy, 
and  peace,  from  God  the  Father  and  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord. 


1  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus  'by  the  will  of 
God,  according  to  the  promise  of  the  lift;  which  is  in 

2  Christ  Jesus,  to  Timothy,  my  boloveii  child:  (jrace, 
mercy,  peace,  from  God  the  Faiher  and  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord. 


1  Gr.  through. 


Ch.  1  :  1,  2.  Salutation.— In  which,  1. 
Paul  chanicterlzes  himself  («)  as  an  apostle 
of  Jesus  Christ;  (6)  as  called  to  this  office  hy 
the  will  of  God;  and  (c)  as  having  received 
it,  in  order  to  carry  into  effect  the  promise  of 
life  which  is  in  Christ.  2.  He  addresses  the 
Epistle  to  Timothy,  as  his  dearly'  beloved  son, 
and  invokes  on  him  the  ttireefold  blessing  of 
grace,  mercy,  and  peace,  from  God  the  Father 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Paul,  ail  apostle  of  Christ  Jesus.  (See 
notes  on  1  Tim.  1:1,  on  the  meaning  of 
'apostle.')  By(o7*  through)  the  will  of  God. 
This  divine  call  to  the  apostolic  office  is  affirmed 
in  nearly  all  the  epistles,  and  in  some,  as  Gal. 
1  :  1,  is  emphasized,  in  order  to  authenticate 
the  Epistle  as  of  divine  authority.  Here,  as 
this  Epistle  was  doubtless  to  be  read  in  the 
church,  the  statement  of  his  divine  call  would 
not  only  show  the  inspired  authority  of  its 
teaching,  but  also  confirm  the  authority  of 
Timotiiy,  as  the  assistant  and  representative 
of  a  divinely  called  apostle.  "In  connecting 
his  apnstleship  here,  as  so  frequently,  with 
God's  will,  he  sought  to  place  it  above,  not 
merely  any  choice  or  desert  of  his  own,  but 
also  every  kind  of  elective  agency  that  was 
simply  human,  and  to  bring  it  into  immediate 
connection  with  the  mind  and  purposes  of  the 
Supreme."  (Fairbairn.)  As  an  apostle,  he 
was  the  direct  medium  through  which  God 
spoke  to  men  ;  it  was  plainly  necessary  that 
his  appointment  should  be,  not  from  men,  but 
directly  from  God.  According  to  the  pro- 
mise of  life — or,  in  piirsunnce  of,  or  further- 
ance of  .  The  divine  appointment  of  Paul  to 
the  apostleship  was  in  order  to  carry  into 
effect,  with  a  view  to  the  fulfillment  of,  the 
promise  of  life.  The  preposition  'according 
to'  points  out  the  object,  or  intention,  of  his 
divine  appointment  as  an  apostle.     "So  that 


I  might  proclaim  to  men  the  promised  eternal 
life."  (Theodoret.)  This  is  the  grand  purpose 
of  the  ministry ;  and  hence  the  message  they 
bear  to  men  is  called  the  gospel,  glad  tidings, 
'  promise  of  life'  ;  namely,  the  "eternal  life, 
which  God,  who  cannot  lie,  promised  before 
the  world  began."  (Titusi:^.)  "Tiie  promise 
of  life  in  Christ  held  out  to  a  dead  world  thus 
appears  here  as  the  purpose  of  the  apostle's 
calling."  (Wiesinger.)  Which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus.  This  life  is  in  Christ  as  its  source,  and 
as  secured   to   the  believer   by   the   work   of 

Christ.    (John  11:  26.  27.)  He  Is  "oUr  life."    (Col.a;3,4.) 

The  life  is  in  Christ,  not  in  us,  and  conse- 
quently is  not  of  works,  as  something  we 
merit,  nor  as  something  evolved  from  within 
us  by  personal  strivings,  but  of  grace,  as  some- 
thing freely  flowing  forth  frhm  liim  to  us,  by 
virtue  of  his  spontaneous,  unmerited  mercy. 

2.  To  Timothy,  mydearly  beloved  son. 
In  1  Tim.  1  :  2,  headdresses  him  as  "  inj-  own," 
or,  genuine  "child,"  but  here  as  his  beloved 
child,  emphasizing  his  love  for  him,  which 
perhaps  better  comports  with  the  circum- 
stances of  this  Epistle,  as  written  after  a  most 
tender  and  sorrowful  parting  (4),  and  in  im- 
mediate expectation  of  his  martyrdom  (4:G-8). 
Love  would  naturally  be  the  dominant  feeling 
at  such  a  moment.  Grace,  mercy,  and 
peace,  from  God  the  Father,  and  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord.  The  common  form  of  in- 
vocation in  nearly  all  the  epistles,  except  the 
inclusion  oi mercy,  which  is  added  only  in  the 
Pastoral  Epistles.    See  notes  on  1  Tim.  1  :  2. 

3-5.  His  Gratitudk  to  God  for  tub 
Faith  of  Timothy.— 1.  He  is  grateful  to 
God,  whom  he,  after  the  example  of  his  an- 
cestffrs,  is  serving  in  a  pure  conscience,  2.  He 
states  the  circuinstanccs  under  which  his  grati- 
tude is  awakened  ;  it  is  while  making  unceas- 
ing remembrance  of  Timothy  in  his  prayers — 


84 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  I. 


3  I  thank  God,  whom  T  serve  from  my  forefatliers 
witli  pure  conscience,  that  witliout  ceasing  I  have 
remembrance  of  ihee  in  my  prayers  night  and  day  ; 

4  (Jreiitly  desiring  to  see  tliee,  being  mindful  of  thy 
tears,  that  I  may  be  filled  with  joy  ; 

5  When  1  call  to  remembrance  the  unfeigned  faith 
that  is  in  thee,  which  dwelt  first  in  thy  grandmotlier 


3  1  thank  God,  whom  I  serve  from  my  forefathers  in 
a  pure  conscience,  hi.w  unceasing  is  my  jeuiem- 
brance  of  thee  in  my  supplications,  night  and  day 

4  longing  to  see  thee,  remembering  thy  tears,  that  I 

5  may  be  tilled  with  'joy;  having  been  reminded  of 
the  unfeigned  faith  that  is  in  thee;  which  dwelt  first 


1  Or,  jay  in  being  reminded. 


a  remeinbi'ance  which  is  prompted  by  his 
longing  to  see  him,  that,  in  their  reunion,  he 
may  be  filled  with  joy,  and  is  strengthened  by 
tiie  memory  of  the  tears  of  Timothy  at  their 
parting.  3.  The  occasion  that  awakens  his 
gratitude  is  the  unfeigned  faith  of  Timothy, 
of  which  he  had  been  reminded  ;  which  faith 
had  before  dwelt  in  liis  grandmother  Lois, 
and  his  mother  Eunice,  and,  the  apostle  feels 
assured,  dwells  in  him  also. 

3»  4r.  I  thank  God.  Compare  on  the 
whole  passage  Rom.  1:8-12;  Eph.  1:  16;  1 
Thess.  3:9,  10;  where,  as  in  other  passages,  a 
similar  gratitude  to  God  for  grace  bestowed  on 
others  is  expressed.  Whom  I  serve  (worship) 
from  my  forefathers  ;  or,  after  the  example 
of  7ny  forefathers ;  referring  probably  in 
'forefathers'  to  his  more  immediate  ancestors, 
as  in  1  Tim.  5:  4,  where  the  word  is  used  of 
parents  and  grsindjiarents.  Paul  was  of  a 
godly  ancestry  (Acts  23: 6, 7),  and  he  declares 
that  the  Gf)d  whom  thoy,  as  pious  Jews,  had 
sincerely  worshiped,  lie  also,  with  like  sin- 
cerity, is  worshiping.  In  becoming  a  Chris- 
tian he  has  not,  as  his  enemies  alleged  de- 
parted from  the  God  of  Israel,  the  God  of  his 
fathers;  on  the  contrary,  as  he  ever3"where 
asserts,  he  has,  in  accepting  Christ,  followed 
the  faith  of  all  the  godly  Israelites  in  the  past, 
while  his  countrymen,  in  rejecting  Christ, 
have  apostatized  from  the  true  faith  of  Israel. 

(Acts2*:U;  Rom.  4:  12  ;  9  :  :il-:J3;  10:3;,2Cor.  11:22;  Phil.  H  :  5.) 

See  also  the  glorious  array  of  the  ancient 
worthies  in  Heb.  ch.  11,  who  as  heroes  of  faith, 
are  held  up  as  examples,  inciting  to  faith  in 
Christ.  With  pure  conscience— marking 
the  ethical  sphere  in  which  his  service  to  God 
was  rendered.  Not  only  did  he  worship  the 
same  God  as  his  fathers,  but,  like  them,  he 
worshiped  in  'a  pure  conscience,'  with  sin- 
cerity, honestly,  according  to  the  light  he  had. 
Throughout  the  apostle's  life,  even  before  his 
conversion,  his  religious  course  had  been 
strictly  conscientious  He  boldly  declared  be- 
fore the  Sanhedrin,  "  I  have  lived  in  all  good 
conscience  before  God  until  this  day."     (Acts 


23:1;  Phil. 3:6.)  He  docs,  indeed,  acknowledge 
that  he  was  a  "  blasphemer,  and  a  persecutor, 
and  injurious"  ;  but  in  this  he  did  not  act  in 
opposition,  but  rather  in  strict  obedience,  to 
his  conscience,  for  he  did  it  "  ignorantly  in  un- 
belief." (1  Tim.  1:13;  Acts 26:9.)  After  his  Conver- 
sion, he  declared,  "  I  exercise  myself  to  have 
always  a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward 
God  and  toward  men.''  (Act3  24:i4-i6;  2Cor, i:n; 
Heb.  13:18.)  That  witliout  ceasing  I  have 
remembrance  of  thee  in  my  prayers — 
marking  the  circumstances  under  which  the 
apostle's  gratitude  is  awakened.  It  is  in  con- 
nection with  his  prayers,  in  which  there  is  an 
unceasing  reinembrance  of  Timothy.  This 
fact  affords  a  beautiful  inlook  into  the  apostle's 
habitual  life,  showing  how,  as  living  in  the 
perpetual  atmosphere  of  prayer,  he  fulfilled 
his  own  injunctions,  "  Pray  without  ceasing," 
"Continuing  instant  in  prayer,"  (iThess.s:!?; 
Rom.  12:12.)  His  whole  life  moved  in  the  ele- 
ment of  prayer;  and  in  this  is  found  the 
source  of  his  character,  as  well  as  the  hiding 
of  his  power. 

4.  Night  and  day;  greatly  desiring  to 
see  thee,  being  mindful  of  thy  tears, 
that  I  may  be  filled  with  joy — better  as, 
for  substance,  as  in  the  Revised  Version  : 
Night  and  day  longing  to  see  thee  (remember- 
ing thy  tears),  that  I  may  be  filled  with  joy. 
His  perpetual  remembrance  of  him  in  prayer 
is  prompted  by  that  warm  affection,  which 
leads  to  a  constant  longing  to  see  him,  that, 
in  the  reunion  he  may  be  filled  with  joy ;  and 
it  is  intensified  as  he  recalls  the  tears  of  Timo- 
thy at  their  parting.  "The  longing  after 
Timothy  occasions  the  continual  thought  of 
him  in  the  prayers  of  the  apo.stle,  and  it  is 
nourished  by  the  recollection  of  Timothj^'s 
tears."     (Huther.) 

5.  When  I  call  to  (havinf/  been  put  in) 
remembrance  {of)  the  unfeigned  faith 
that  is  in  thee — or,  having  received  a  rendnd- 
"'■ff  of  etc.  "Through  some  circumstances 
not  further  indicated  to  us,  his  recollection 
was  aroused  touching  something  indeed  which 


Ch.  I.] 


11.  TIMOTHY. 


85 


Lois,  and  tliy  mother  Eunice;  and  I  am  persuaded  that 
ill  tliee  als" 

6  Wherefore  I  put  thee  in  remembrance,  that  thou 
stir  up  the  gift  of  God,  wiiich  is  in  thee  by  the  putting 
on  of  my  bauds.  | 


in  thy  grandmother  Lois,  and  thy  mother  Eunice; 

6  and,  I  am  pi-rsiiadtil,  in   ihee  also.     For  llie  which 

cause  I  put  thee  in  reuiemhiance  tliat  tliou  'stir  up 

the  gift  uf  God,  which  is  in  thee  through  the  laying 


1  Gr.  tlir  into  fiame. 


he  knew  already,  but  which  now  he  had  ob- 
served anew:  nameh',  the  unfeigned  faith 
which  dwelt  in  Timothy."  (Van  Ousterzee.) 
Thus,  also,  Wiosinger,  Bengel,  Ellicott.  'Un- 
feigned '  :  opposed  to  an  assumed,  hypocriti- 
cal     faith.       (Phil.  2:22;  1  Tim.  1  :  5.)       Which     (SUch 

as)  dwelt  first  in  thy  grandmother  L.ois, 
and  thy  mother  Eunice — that  is,  the  un- 
feigned faith  of  Timothy  was  such  as,  of  like 
character  with,  that  which  had  before  dwelt 
in  his  maternal  ancestors.  Of  Lois  we  have 
no  other  mention,  but  of  the  mother,  Eunice, 
it  is  said,  in  Acts  16:1,  that  she  was  "  a  Jewess 
and  b'ilieved,"  and,  3  :  15,  that  by  her  maternal 
care,  Timothy  "from  a  child"  had  "known 
the  holy  Scriptures."  And  I  am  persuaded 
that  in  thee  also— an  unequivocal  expres- 
sion of  confidence  in  the  sincerity  and  reality 
of  Timothy's  faith,  the  conjunction  (fie,  but) 
here  being,  according  to  a  common  Greek 
usage,  appositive  in  effect,  making  the  words 
signify  ;  a  faith  which,  I  feel  confident,  dtrellx  also 
in  thee,  "or  this  confidence  respecting  Timothy 
Paul  had  abundant  ground  from  the  character 
he  had  shown.  (piiii.2:20.}  "  Lois  and  Eunice 
seem  to  have  '  waited  for  the  consolation  of 
Israel'  before  they  heard  the  gospel,  and  thus 
were  prepared  to  receive  it;  and  having  dili- 
gently given  Timothy  a  religious  education, 
it  greatly  conduced  to  his  being  made  a  par- 
taker of  tlie  same  faith,  as  the  apostle  was 
fully  j)ersuaded  concerning  him."  (Scott.) 
The  bf'lieving  wife  had  here  the  influence  on 
the  child  contemplated  in  1  Cor.  7  :  14;  her 
training,  like  that  of  many  a  faithful  Chris- 
tian mother,  was  blessed  to  the  conversion  of 
her  son,  and  the  example  may  well  inspire  to 
n>aternal  fidelity.  While  divine  gmce  does 
not  run  in  the  blood,  as  something  transmitted, 
yet  there  is  a  true  sense  in  which  moral  and 
spiritual  tendencies  and  characteristics  are 
transmitted;  and  assuredlj-,  birth  from  a 
godly  ancestry  and  childhood  life  in  a  Chris- 
tian home  are  often  most  potent  factors  in  the 
character  of  the  man.  All  expositors,  with 
Paley,  note  the  coincidence  that,  in  Acts  16  :  1, 
the  mother  only  is  said  to  have  believed,  and 


here  it  is  her  faith,  not  the  father's,  which  is 
mentit>ned. 

6-12.  Timothy  Exhorted  to  an  Active 
AND  Fearless  Faith  in  the  Exercise  of 
HIS  Ministerial  Gift. — To  this  he  is  in- 
cited :  1.  By  the  nature  of  the  Christian  spirit, 
as  imparted  by  God.  It  is  not  cowardly,  but 
fearless.  Instead,  therefore,  of  being  asiiamed 
of  Christ's  gospel,  and  of  Paul,  imprisoned  for 
Christ's  sake,  he  should  rather  share  in  the 
apostle's  hardships,  exercising  a  faith  in  some 
degree  commensurate  with  the  power  of  God, 
exhibited  in  his  salvation.  (7,  8.)  2.  By  the 
grace  of  God,  in  that  (a)  he  saved  us  and 
called  us,  not  according  to  our  works,  but 
iiccording  to  his  own  purpose  and  undeserved 
favor;  (6)  this  grace  was  given  us  in  Christ 
before  eternal  ages,  but  was  manifested  by 
the  appearing  of  Christ,  who  destroyed  the 
power  of  death,  and  through  the  gospel 
brought  to  light  life  and  immortality.  (9, 
10.)  3.  By  the  example  of  the  apostle  him- 
self, who.  appointed  to  the  ministerial  office, 
and  thereby  subjected  to  suffering,  was,  never- 
theless, not  ashamed,  since  he  knew  the  char- 
acter of  God,  whom  he  had  trusted,  and  was 
confident  of  God's  ability  to  keep  to  the  final 
day  the  great  interests  of  his  soul,  which  he 
had  committed  to  him.     (11.  12.) 

6.  Wherefore — that  is,  because  of  my  con- 
fidence in  the  genuineness  of  thy  faith,  as 
before  expressed.  (ver.  3.)  I  put  thee  in 
remembrance  that  thou  stir  up — rekindle, 
as  a  fire;  or  here,  perhaps,  kindle  vp,  as  of 
causing  a  fire  alreadj'  bright  to  burn  still 
brighter;  "stir  it  up,  as  fire  under  the  em- 
bers." The  same  figure  is  found  (i  The««. ;- :  i9), 
"Quench  not  the  Spirit,"  where  the  Spirit 
within  the  soul  is  compared  to  a  fire,  which 
opposition  or  neglect  may  quench.  The  gifl 
of  the  Spirit  at  the  Pentecost  appeared  as  a 
tongue  of  flame.  (Acta2:s.)  The  gift  of 
God — not  the  grace  received  at  conversion, 
but  the  ministerial  gift,  including  all  the  gifts 
for  the  sacred  office,  with  special  emphasis 
here,  perhaps,  on  boldness  in  the  faith.  The 
thought  is  not  that  Timothy  had  been  unfaith- 


86 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  I. 


7  For  God  halh  not  given  us  the  spirit  of  fear;  but  of  I 
power,  and  ut'  love,  and  of  a  sound  niiud.  | 


7  on  of  my  hands.   For  God  gave  us  not  a  spirit  of  fear- 

8  fulness;  but  of  power  and  love  and  > discipline.    Be 


1  6r.  sobering. 


ful  in  the  use  of  this  gift,  which  is  forbidden 
by  Paul's  thankfulness  to  God  for  his  faith, 
expressed  in  ver.  3-5;  but  as  the  apostle  him- 
selfwas  soon  to  die,  and  weightier  respon- 
sibilities would  thus  fall  on  the  disciple. 
Timothy,  instead  of  timidly  shrinking  from 
responsibility,  as  was,  perhaps,  natural  to 
him,  should  rather,  with  higher  courage, 
make  still  larger  use  of  his  gift,  kindling 
the  sacred  fire  to  a  higher  intensity  to  meet 
the  duties  of  this  larger  sphere.  This  gift, 
though  imparted  by  God,  would  increase  or 
diminish,  according  as  its  possessor  used  it. 
Ministers  may  decrease  in  power  by  lack  of 
industry,  by  absorption  in  other  lines  of 
thought  and  work,  or,  as  was  here  the  dan- 
ger, by  undue  timidity  and  consequent  failure 
in  a  bold,  courageous  exercise  of  their  office. 
Little  Faith  fails  in  much  that  he  might  have 
done,  and  thus,  though  saved,  fails  of  a  full 
reward.  (2  John  8.)  On  the  other  hand,  the 
ministerial  gift  may  be  re-inflamed,  endowed 
with  larger  power,  by  diligence,  fidelity,  faith, 
and  a  fervent  and  constant  exercise  of  it. 
"Use  gifts,  and  have  gifts;  'to  him  that 
hath  shall  be  given.'  (Matt. 25: 29.)  "  (Henry.) 
Which  is  in  thee  by  (^through)  the  putting 
on  of  my  hands.  Three  interpretations 
have  here  been  proposed  :  1.  That  the  minis- 
terial gift,  defined  as  the  power  to  minister 
effectually  in  preaching  the  word  and  admin- 
istering the  sacraments,  was  imparted  by  the 
laying  on  of  Paul's  hands,  a  view  which  is 
inconsistent  («)  with  the  account  of  Timothy's 
separation  to  the  ministry,  which  implies  that 
his  fitness  for  the  office  was  perceived  and  was 
attested  by  the  brethren  of  Lystra  and  Icon- 
iuin  before  his  ordination  (Acts  16: 1-3) ;  [b)  with 
the  facts  al.*o  in  the  other  cases  of  ordination, 
in  both  of  which  the  gifts  existed  before  the 
ordination,  and  their  existence  constituted  the 
reason  for  ordaining  them  to  the  work  (Acts 
6:6;  13:3)  ;  and  (c)  with  the  plain  directions  to 
Timothy  and  Titus,  which  require  that  the 
requisite  qualifications  be  found  in  candidates 
before  they  are  placed  in  office.  (1  Tim.  3 :  i-v; 
5:22;  Titnsi :  5-9.)  2.  That  the  expression  here 
indicates  not  the  conferring  of  any  gift  by  the 
imposition  of  Paul's  hands,  but  only  the  public 


recognition  of  Timothy's  ministerial  gift  by 
Paul  and  the  elders,  a  view  wliich,  while  ade- 
quately explaining  1  Tim.  4  :  14,  where  the 
gift  was  given  "through  prophecy,  with  the 
laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  presbytery," 
does  not  adequately  interpret  this  passage, 
where  the  gift  is  said  to  be  in  him  ihrovgh,  nr 
by  means  of  (Jto)  the  laj'ing  on  of  the  apostle's 
hands — language  which  makes  the  imposition 
of  Paul's  hands,  in  some  sense,  the  medium  of 
conveying  the  gift.  3.  That  a  gift  for  the 
ministry  already  existed  in  Timothy,  but, 
through  the  laying  on  of  an  apostle's  hands, 
this  natural  gift  was  exalted  into  a  chnrism, 
or  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  intensifying  and 
enlarging  this  natural  qualification.  (Acts 
8:15-19.)  This  seems  to  me  a  fair  interpretation 
of  the  words.  According  to  this,  the  ordina- 
tion of  Timothy  was  attended  with  exceptional 
circumstances;  for,  when  he  was  ordained,  a 
distinct  prophetic  utterance  designated  him, 
as  it  had  Barnabas  and  Saul,  for  the  office; 
and  Paul,  as  an  apostle,  united  with  the  pres- 
bytery in  the  laying  on  of  hands,  so  that  he, 
through  the  imposition  of  an  apostle's  hands, 
received  the  supernatural  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Plainly,  this  cannot  occur  now,  since 
there  are  neither  prophets  nor  apostles  in  the 
church,  and  the  charisms  of  the  Spirit  have 
ceased. 

7.  For — introducing  an  argument  for  stir- 
ring up  his  gift,  and  against  that  timidity  which 
here,  as  elsewhere,  is  intimated  as  a  natural 
characteristic  of  Timothy.  Such  timidity,  the 
apostle  urges,  is  not  of  God,  and  is  to  be 
resisted.  God  hath  not  given  (did  not  give) 
us  the  spirit  of  fear — a  spirit  which  shrinks 
from  duty  and  responsibility  in  the  pre.'^ence 
of  toil  01  danger.  Fear  is  often  a  fatal  snare. 
The  wicked  servant  said:  "I  was  afraid,  and 
went  and  hid  thy  talent  in  the  earth."  (M»tt. 
25:25.)  But  it  is  the  nature  of  true  religion 
to  inspire  a  courageous  faith  and  lift  the  soul 
above  fear.  (Acts 4 :  is.)  In  all  ages  it  has  made 
the  timid  bold  and  nerved  the  fearful  with 
courage  and  strength.  But  of  power— the 
opposite  of  weakness  in  timidity.  The  Holy 
Spirit  is  designated  as  "powerfrom  on  high," 
and  his  presence  has  always  given  power,  e»- 


Ch.I.] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


87 


8  Be  not  thou  therefore  ashamed  of  the  tosliinony  of 
our  Lord,  iiorof  uie  hisprisouer :  but  be  thou  partiikerol 
the  affliclious  of  the  got.pel  according  to  the  jJoweroKJod; 

y  Wlio  hath  saved  us,  and  called  us  with  a  holy  call- 
ing, not  accordinj;  to  our  works,  but  according  to  his 
own  purpose  and  grace,  which  was  given  us  iu  Christ 
Jesus  belbre  the  world  began; 


not  ashamed  therefore  of  the  testimony  of  oui-  Lord, 
nor  of  ine  his  prisoner:  but  sulfur  hardship  with 
9  the  gospul  according  to  the  power  of  God;  who 
saved  us,  and  called  us  with  a  holy  calling,  nut 
according  to  our  works,  but  according  to  his  own 
purpose  and  grace,  which  was  giveu  us  iu  Christ 


pccially  a  holy  boldness  iu  uttering  the  truth. 

(Luke  24  :«;  Acts  4:  31.)      And    Of   lOVC— that    Self- 

forgetting  love  to  Christ,  to  the  church,  and 
to  the  souls  of  men,  which  exhorts,  warns, 
rebukes  with  boldness  and  fidelity  at  what- 
ever ris^k  of  consequences  to  self.  And  ot  a 
sound  mind  (self-control,)  —  a  self-control 
which  restrains  and  gives  calmness  in  danger. 
"The  power  of  authoritative  control  and  wise 
restraint,  which,  if  we  have  but  in  sufficient 
measure,  we  shall  not  weakly  bend  to  adverse 
circumstances,  but  make  them  bend  to  us."' 
(Fairbairn.)  Thus  Wiesinger,  Ellicott,  Van 
Oo.sterzee.  Otliers  translate  either  correction, 
as  Alford  and  Huther;  or,  chastisement,  as 
Conant,  referring,  in  both  cases,  to  decision 
and  authority  in  the  enforcement  of  disci- 
pline. 

8.  Be  not  thou  therefore  ashamed  of 
the  testimony  of  our  Lord.  Since  God 
has  given  us  such  a  spirit,  be  not  timid,  fearful, 
ashamed  to  bear  testimony  to  our  Lord — that 
is,  to  the  gospel  in  all  its  doctrines  and  pre- 
cepts and  promises,  of  which  Christ  our  Lord 
is  the  centre  and  the  substance.  (Acts  i:  8.) 
Nor  of  me  his  prisoner — a  prisoner  for  his 
sake.  Be  not  ashamed  of  me,  who  am  impris- 
oned for  Christ's  s:ike,  in  failing  either  boldly 
to  declare  my  apostolic  authority  and  doctrine 
in  Ephesus  and  Asia,  or  to  come  to  Rome  and 
identify  thyself  with  me  in  my  poverty  and 
bonds.  Some  were  ashamed,  and  had  for- 
saken him  in  his  great  peril  (4:io,  i6),  and  the 
apostle  was  anxious  that,  amid  this  sad  de- 
fection of  others  in  the  hour  of  danger,  Tim- 
othy should  prove  faithful  to  Christ  and  his 
persecuted  servant.  There  is  no  evidence 
here  tiiat  Timothy  had  shown  a  lack  of  faith 
— the  thanksgiving  to  God  for  his  faith  proves 
the  reverse;  but  in  the  defection  of  many 
whom  he  had  trusted,  and  in  the  near  ap- 
proach of  the  apostle's  death,  it  was  natural 
for  him  to  be  solicitous  to  strengthen  the  sjiirit 
of  Timothy.  But  be  thou  partaker  of  the 
afflictions  of  the  gospel — or,  Suffer  hard- 
ship wif/i  me  for  the  gospel.  "  Not  suffer  with 
the  gospel,  bear  with  it  the  disgrace  attached 


to  it,  but  suffer  with  me,  who  also  tim  suffering 
for  the  gospel."  (Van  Oosterzee.)  Thus 
most  expositors.  According  to  the  power 
of  God — that  is,  according  to  the  power  God 
has  displayed  in  the  work  of  our  redemption, 
described  in  verses  9,  10.  Let  thy  willingness 
to  suffer  for  God  be  in  some  proportion  to  the 
power  he  has  shown  in  the  gospel  to  save 
thee.  "He  points  to  the  great  things  done 
by  God  in  the  matter  of  our  salvation  as  a 
ground  and  motive  for  something  correspond- 
ing being  done  by  us."  (Fairbairn.)  Others, 
as  Chi-ysostom  :  "Think  not  that  thou  hast  to 
bear  these  afflictions  by  thine  own  power; 
nay,  it  is  by  the  power  of  God." 

9.  Who  hath  saved  us.  As  a  reason  for 
enduring  suffering  'according  to  the  power  of 
God,'  he  shows  the  greatness  of  God's  grace 
and  power  as  displayed  in  our  salvation.  The 
passage  is  characteristically  Pauline  in  thought 
and  expression.  'Who' — God  the  Father  — 
'saved  us' ;  namely,  all  believers.  "He  who 
has  experienced  the  power  of  God  in  his  own 
salvation  and  calling  must  not,  in  view  of 
this  power,  shrink  from  sufferings;  with  an 
answering  confidence  he  must  be  ready  to 
suffer  for  the  gospel."  (Wiesinger.)  And 
called  us  with  a  holy  calling.  It  is  God 
the  Father  who  effectually  calls  his  people. 
(Rom.  8 :  30;  Eph.  1 :  18)  ;  and  the  vocatiou  to  which 
he  calls  them  is  also  holy.  The  calling  is  an 
exercise  of  his  holiness,  and  it  leads  to  holi- 
ness in  us.      (Eph  4:  1;  Col.  1  :  10;  1  Petcrl  :  15.)      "The 

call  comes  wholly  from  God,  and  claims  us 
wholly  for  God.  'Holy'  implies  the  separa- 
tion of  believers  from  the  rest  of  the  world 
unto  God."  (Faussot.)  Not  according  to 
our  works.  Our  works  were  neither  the  con- 
sideration for  which,  nor  the  standard  accord- 
ing to  which,  he  saved  and  called  us.  Else- 
where he  said:  "By  grace  are  ye  saved, 
through  faith;,  and  that  not  of  yourselves:  it 
is  the  gift  of  God.  Not  of  works,  lest  any 
man  should  boast."  (Kph-  2 :  8.  9.)  ".Not  by 
works  of  righteousness  which  we  have  done, 
but  according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us." 
(Titus 3: 5.)     "The  origin  of  it  is  the  free  grace 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  I. 


10  But  is  now  made  manifest  by  the  appearing  of  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Clirist,  who  halh  abolished  death  and 
liath  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  throu^a  the 
gospel : 


10  Jesus  before  times  eternal,  but  hath  now  been  mani- 
fested by  the  appearing  ot  our  Saviour  Christ  .lesus 
who  abolished  death,  and  brought  lile  and  i  immorl 


1  6r.  incorruption. 


and  eternal  purpose  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 
If  we  had  merited  it,  it  had  been  hard  to  sufler 
for  it;  but  our  salvation  by  it  U  of  free  grace, 
and  therefore  we  must  not  think  much  to 
sutfer  for  it."  (Henry.)  But  according  to 
his  own  purpose  and  grace.  '  His  own  '  is 
liere  emphatic.  He  was  self-moved,  impelled 
by  motives,  not  from  without,  but  from  within, 
himself.  His  design  of  mercy  was  called  forth 
by  no  desert,  no  worthiness  in  us;  but  it  was 
''according  to  his  good  pleasure,  which  he 
purposed  in  himself";  '"according  to  the 
purpose  of  him  who  worketh  all  things  after 
the  counsel  of  his  own  will."  (Eph.  i  :  9,  11.) 
'Grace' — free,  unmerited  favor — a  fovor,  the 
grounds  of  which  are  in  him  who  bestows,  not 
in  him  who  receives.  Which  (grace)  was 
given  to  us  in  Christ  Jesus  before  the 
world  began^or,  before  eternal  times.  The 
grace  was  given  to  us  believers — although  we 
did  nottheii  personally  exist — in  Christ,  as  our 
Hedeemer  and  Kepresentative.  The  thought 
is  elsewhere  expressed:  "According  as  he 
hath  chosen  us  in  him  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world,  that  we  should  be  holy  and 
without  blame  before  him  in  love;  having 
predestinated  us  unto  the  adoption  of  children 
to  himself,  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of 

hiswill."     (Eph.  1  :4,  5;  IPeterl  :2.)       ChHst  and  his 

body,  the  church,  are  one  and  indivisible  in 
the  divine  mind,  and  grace  was  given  to  the 
chosen,  therefore,  when  in  eternity  they  were 
chosen  in  him.  "'Which  was  given  us  in 
Christ  Jesus  before  the  world  began.'  It  is  a 
gift,  and  a  free  gift,  not  at  all  depending  upon 
any  conditions  of  the  creature,  and  entirely 
proceeding  from  the  sovereign  will  of  God; 
and  it  was  a  gift  from  eternity;  there  was  not 
only  a  purpose  of  grace  in  God's  heart,  and  a 
promise  of  it  so  early,  but  there  was  a  real 
donation  of  it  in  eternity;  and  though  those 
to  whom  it  was  given  did  not  then  personally 
exist,  yet  Chri«t  did,  and  he  existed  as  a  Cove- 
nant Head  and  Representative  of  his  people  ; 
and  they  were  in  him,  as  members  of  him,  as 
represented  by  him,  being  united  to  him  ;  and 
this  grace  was  given  to  him  for  them,  and  to 
them  in  him;  in  whom  they  were  chosen,  and 


in  whom  they  were  blessed  with  all  spiritual 
blessings."  (Gill.)  '  Before  eternal  times'— 
that  is,  prior  to  the  series  of  ages  during  which 
the  universe  has  existed  ;  or,  as  elsewhere  ex- 
pressed, "before  the  foundation  of  the  world." 
Compare  Rom.  16  :  25;  Titus  1:2;  also  1  Cor. 
2:7;  Eph.  3  :  11.  This  grace  was,  in  the  di- 
vine purpose,  given  in  Christ  to  believers 
prior  to  the  creation,  before  time  began  ;  and 
"what  God  determines  in  eternity  is  as  good 
as  already  made  actual  in  time."  (De  Wette. ) 
10.  But— the  purpose  of  grace,  thus  formed 
in  eternity,  was  realized,  unfolded  in  time. 
Is  MOW  made  manifest.  This  grace,  which 
was  given  in  Christ  before  time  began,  but  had 
been  hidden  during  all  the  ages,  was  now,  at 
the  epoch  of  the  incarnation,  manifested. 
(Rom.  16:25, 26;  Col.  1 : 26.)  By  the  appearing  of 
our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ — his  appearing 
in  the  flesh  referring,  not  to  his  birth  only,  but 
to  his  whole  manifestation,  in  his  life,  death, 
and  resurrection.  Tliis  manifestation  of  God 
in  our  humanity  disclosed  the  grace  which  had 
hitherto  been  hidden.  Who  hath  abolished 
death — or,  in  that  he  mode  death,  indeed,  of 
no  effect.  He  "took  away  the  power  from 
death."  (Tittinan.)  Compare  1  Cor.  15  :  26; 
Heb.  2:14.  "Death  appears  here,  as  also 
elsewhere  (for  example,  Rom.  6:23),  not  as 
strictly  bodily  or  spiritual  death  ('dead  in 
trespa.sses,'  Col.  2:  13),  but  the  power  which, 
in  consequence  of  sin,  has  seized  alike  on  body 
and  soul,  and  inflicts  natural,  as  the  precursor 
of  eternal,  death.  Its  sting  is  sin  ;  it  is  nulli- 
fied when  this  is  taken  away,  for  it  is  then  no 
longer  a  denial  of  life  and  immortality.  There 
remains  but  the  form  of  death,  until  this  also 
is  annihilated  and  death  is  no  more  (Rev.  21  : 
4:  death  shall  exist  no  more,  etc.)."  (Wie- 
singer.)  This  death  he  abolished,  or  made  of 
no  effect:  1.  Bj' the  new  spiritual  life  he  im- 
parts to  those  who  believe  on  him,  through 
which  sin  the  "sting"  of  death  is  destroyed 
(Eph.2:i);  and  as  the  result  of  which  the  act 
of  dying  is  to  the  Christian  no  longer  death, 
but  only  the  passing  into  a  new  and   higher 

life    with    Christ.       (John  11  :36;  Rom.  8:2.  .'iS:  2  Cor.  5. 

6-8;  Heb.  2 :  14.)    2.    By   his  own   triumph   over 


Ch.  I.] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


89 


11  Whereunto  I   am   appointed   a  preacher,  and  an  !  11  tality  toliglitthrough  tlleno^^pel,  wliereuiitol  wasap- 
apostle,  and  a  teacher  of  the  Gentiles.  j  12  pointed  a 'preacher,  and  an  a|ioslle,and  ateaclier.  For 

12  For  the  which  cause  I  also  siitFer  these  things:  the  which  cause  1  sutler  also  these  thin>;s:  yet  1  ^^lu 
nevertheless   I  uui   not  ashamed;  lor  1  know  whom  1  |        not  ashamed;  for  1  know  him  whom  1  have  believed, 

1  Gr.  herald. 


death  in  his  resurrection  and  glorification, 
which  was  the  type  and  pledge  of  a  like  tri- 
umph of  his  people,  when  they  also  shall  rise 
in  his  image,  with  bodies  made  like  unto  his 
glorious  body,  and  "there  phall  be  no  more 
desith."  (1  Cor.  15 :  26,  50-37;  Phil.  3 :  21.)  The  de- 
struction of  death,  which  is  accomplished  in 
Chri.<t  the  Head,  is  here  spoken  of  as  if  already 
accomplished  in  his  Body,  the  church,  (coi. 3.- 
3. 4.)  And  hath  brought  life  :ind  immor- 
tality to  light — or,  revealed,  by  throwing 
light  thereon,  life  and  incorruption.  Before 
obscure,  hidden  amid  shadows,  his  appearing 
illumined  them.  Compare  1  Cor.  4  :  5.  'Life 
and  immortality,'  or,  the  incorruptible,  im- 
perishable life,  had  been,  indeed,  already 
adumbrated  in  the  Old  Testament ;  but  Christ, 
in  his  teachings,  and  especially  in  his  life, 
death,  resurrection,  and  glorification,  lighted 
up,  illumined,  what  was  before  only  dimly 
seen,  and  brought  it  forth,  as  into  the  blaze  of 
the  noonday  sun.  The  full  meaning  of  life 
and  immortality  is  seen  only  in  Christ,  as 
now  he,  the  God-3Ian,  sits  glorified  on  the 
throne  of  the  universe.  'Life'  is  here  the 
new  spiritual  life  imparted  by  "the  Spirit  of 
life  in  Christ  Jesus,"  when  the  soul,  before 
'"dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,"  is  quickened 
(Rom.  8: 2.6;  Eph  2 :  i)  ;  and  the  indwelling  of 
''the  Spirit  of  him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from 
the  dead"  within  the  believer  is  the  pledge  of 
the  ultimate  resurrection  and  incorruption  of 
his  body.  (Rom.  8  :  to,  ii.)  'Immortality,'  or 
imperishability,  is  an  attribute  of  the  'life' 
which,  already  existing  in  the  Christian,  shall 
at  last  pervade  and  possess  his  whole  nature, 

body  and  soul.      (Rom.  2:  7;  l  Peterl  :4.)      The  Work 

of  Christ,  at  his  appearing  on  earth,  is  thus 
expressed  in  its  grandest  manifestation  of 
power.  On  the  one  hand,  it  destroyed  death, 
the  fearful  penalty  of  sin,  in  all  its  effects, 
alike  in  the  soul  and  the  body;  on  the  other, 
it  revealed  life,  in  all  the  fullness  of  its  bless- 
ing, permeating,  enriching,  ennobling  the 
whole  being,  spiritual  and  bodilj',  and  at  last 
transforming  the  man,  in  his  whole  nature, 
into  the  likeness  of  the  glorified  God-Man. 
"Death  results  from  the  falling  away  of  the 


creature  from  God,  and  in  its  development 
includes  in  itself  moral  weakness  (oceeMia), 
corruption  (&i.a.'i>6o(>a.\  and  tiie  endless  ruin 
(ajTuiAeia)  of  soul  aiid  body.  This  death  pro- 
cess Christ  has  made  of  no  effect  by  the  inter- 
posed life  process,  first  of  all  in  his  own  person, 
then,  as  a  result  therefrom,  in  those  who  per- 
sonally unite  themselves  with  him."  (Beck.) 
Through  the  gospel  —  the  instrument 
through  which,  as  Christ  is  the  agent  by  whom, 
'life  and  immortality'  are  brought  to  light,  or 
revealed  to  man. 

11.  Whereunto  I  am  appointed  a 
preacher,  and  an  apostle,  and  a  teacher 
of  the  Gentiles.  Compare  1  Tim.  2  :  7, 
where  the  same  expression  is  used.  There, 
however,  it  is  connected  with  the  assertion  of 
his  authority  in  the  gospel,  but  here  with  a 
statement  of  the  sufterings  endured  in  preach- 
ing the  gospel.  'Of  the  Gentiles' — omitted 
in  the  Sinaitic  and  Alexandrian  manuscript=i, 
as  well  as  in  Cursive  17,  and  in  Kevised  Ver- 
sion; but  probably  to  be  retained,  as  sustained 
by  all  other  manuscript  authority'  [X<:  C  D  E 
F  G  K  L  P,  Syriac,  Coptic,  etc.— A.  H.],  and 
as  here  important  to  the  sense. 

12.  FortheAvhich  cause — that  is,  because 
I  was  appointed  to  thisoflBce,  and  am  fulfilling 
it,  especiall}'  as  an  apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  (acw 
22:21;  Eph.  3: 1.)  I  also  suffcr  thcsc  things  ; 
namelj',  the  suffering  connected  with  his  per- 
secution and  imprisonment.  (Ver.8,  15.)  It  WaS 
the  very  calling  ho  had  received  from  God  as 
an  apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  which  proved  the 
occasion  of  his  sufferings.  Nevertheless  I 
am  not  ashamed.  Though  thus  suffering, 
he  had  lost  none  of  his  boldness  in  proclaim- 
ing Christ  and  his  gospel;  and  he  cites  his 
own  example,  in  order  to  awaken  in  Timothy 
like  courage  and  endurance  for  the  iVIaster. 
(ver. 8.)  For  I  know  whom  I  have  be- 
lieved— or,  on  whom  I  h are  fixed  my  trust. 
The  reason  he  is  not  ashamed,  he  knows  God 
his  Saviour,  God  in  Christ,  whom  he  has 
trusted;  and  this  knowledge  frees  him  from 
all  doubt  and  fear.  "  I  know  what  a  faithful, 
promise-keeping  God  he  is.  (2:i3.)  It  is  not, 
I   know  how  I   have  believed,  but  I  know 


90 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  I. 


have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  be  is  able  to  keep 
that  which  1  have  committed  uiito  him  agaiust  that 
day. 

i:{  Hold  fast  the  form  of  sound  words,  which  thou 
hast  heard  of  me,  in  faith  and  love  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus. 

14  That  good  thing  which  was  committed  unto  thee 
keep  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which  dwelleth  in  us. 


and  I  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  guard  Hhat 
which  I  have  committed  unto  him  against  that  day. 

13  Hold  tlie  pattern  of  2  sound  words  which  thon  hast 
heard  from  me,  in  faith  and  love  which  is  in  Christ 

14  Jesus.  JiThat  good  thing  which  was  committed 
unto  Ihee  guard  through  the  Holy  Spirit  who  dwell- 
eth in  us. 


1  Or,  that  which  he  hath  committed  unto  ) 


Gr.  my  deposit 2  Gr.  healthful 3  Gr.  The  good  deposit. 


WHOM  I  have  believed — a  feeble  faith  mny 
cla.«p  a  strong  Saviour."  (Fausset.)  The 
character  of  God,  especially  as  he  is  revealed 
in  Christ,  is  the  ultimate  ground  of  Christian 
trust ;  and  the  more  perfectly  that  character  is 
apprehended  in  any  soul,  the  more  absolute 
and  complete  will  be  its  reliance  on  him  and 

its  rest  in  him.      (iSam.  30:6;  Hab.  3:n,  IS;  Eom.  5:11.) 

And  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to 
keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto 

him — literally,  my  deposit  {rriv  napaerjKrjv  liov). 
Paul  had  committed  to  God  in  Christ  his 
whole  being,  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  with  all 
his  interests  for  time  and  eternity.  God  is 
here  the  trustee  with  whom  he  has  deposited 
for  aafe  keeping  his  temporal  and  eternal  sal- 
vation and  welfare;  and  the  ground  of  his 
confidence  is  the  omnipotence  of  God.  He  is 
able  to  keep  it.  "God  deposits  with  us  his 
word,  we  deposit  with  God  our  spirit."    (Gro- 

tius.)       (Lulte23  :46;  1  Thess.  5  :  23;  1  Peter4:  19.)       ThuS 

most  interpreters.  Some,  however,  interpret 
the  "deposit"  as  the  "office  of  preaching  the 
gospel,"  which  God  had  committed  to  Paul, 
as  ver.  14;  an  interpretation  less  congruous 
with  the  context,  in  which  he  is  speaking  of 
the  trust  he  himself  has  reposed  in  God,  and 
one  which  is  by  no  means  required  by  ver.  14, 
since  deposit  (irapae^Kr;)  is  a  general  term,  and 
need  not  designate  the  same  deposit  in  both 
places.  Agrainst  that  day — the  final  day,  the 
day  of  judgment,  when  "the  righteous  shall 
shine  f(jrth  as  tlie  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their 
Father."  Not  simply  until  that  day,  but 
unto,  vnth  reference  to,  for  that  A&y.  What 
has  thus  been  intrusted  will  be  kept  safe,  un- 
impaired, for  the  needs  and  the  blessedness  of 

that  day.  (4:8:  Matt.  13  :  43  ;  Rom.  8  :  18-23  ;  2  Thess.  1  :  610 ; 
James  1  :  12.) 

13-18.  Admonition  to  an  Unswerving 
Adherknce  to  the  Apostle's  Doctrine, 
AND  Fidelity  to  the  Ministerial  Trust. 
— 1.  Timothy  is  urged  to  hold  the.  health- 
giving  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  as  received 
from   the  apostle,   in   the   faith  and    love  of 


Christ,  and  to  guard,  by  means  of  the  indwell- 
ing Spirit,  the  sacred  trust  of  the  ministry. 
(13,  14.)  2.  This  admonition  is  enforced  (a) 
by  way  of  warning,  in  that  certain  Asiatics, 
when  at  Eome,  had  turned  away  from  the 
apostle,  especially  Phygellus  and  Hermo- 
genes ;  and,  by  waj-  of  encouragement,  in  the 
example  of  Onesiphorus,  who,  regardless  of 
danger,  had  sought  him  out  and  cheered  him 
in  his  prison;  for  which  mercy  shown  to  the 
apostle,  he  invokes  God's  mercy  on  him  at 
the  final  day.     (15-18.) 

13.  Hold  fast  the  form  of  sound  words, 
Avhich  thou  hast  heard  of  me,  in  faith 
and  love  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  The 
word  translated  in  the  Common  Version /orm 
(uTTOTiiTTuxris)  Is  rcndcrcd  (iTim.  i:i6)  patteim, 
designating  that  which  was  intended  as  a 
model,  exemplar.  It  refers  here  to  the  in- 
struction, the  general  s.ystem  of  truth  which 
Timothy  had  received  from  Paul;  not,  how- 
ever, as  a  mere  dead  form  of  words,  but  "as  a 
living  expression  of  things,  as  if  thej'  were 
visibly  presented  to  the  ej'e."  (Calvin.) 
This  living  outline  of  truth,  taught,  not  in 
words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  in  the  wholesome, 
health-imparting  words  of  the  Spirit,  and 
im])rinted  as  an  image  on  the  mind  of  Tim- 
othy, he  is  to  hold  there,  alike  in  substance 
and  form,  uneffaced and  undistorted  by  "ques- 
tions and  strifes  of  words."  "  What  St.  Paul 
had  delivered  to  Timothy  was  to  be  to  him  a 
pattern  and  exemplar  to  guide  him."  (Elli- 
cott.)  'In  faith  and  love' — the  sphere,  or 
element,  in  which  he  is'  to  hold  this  system 
of  truth.  It  is  to  be  held,  not  barely  in  the 
reason,  as  if  only  an  intellectual  conception, 
but  rather  in  the  heart,  as  an  object  of  faith 
and  love,  and  that  the  love  which  is  inspired 
bj'  Chri.st  Jesus.  His  theology  is  to  be  the 
theology  of  the  heart,  vitalized  and  spirit- 
ualized in  the  atmosphere  of  Christian  faith 
and  love.  The  truths  of  the  gospel  are  clearlj' 
apprehended  and  firmly  held  only  as  they  live 
and  glow  in  the  heart,     (i  Tim.  5 : 5,  e,  i9.) 


Ch.  L] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


91 


15  This  tlioii  knowest,  that  all  they  which  are  in 
Asia  be  turned  away  from  uie;  of  whom  are  Pbygellus 
and  Ilermogenes. 

1(5  The  Lord  give  mercy  unto  the  house  of  Ouesi- 
phoriis:  tor  he  oft  refreshed  me,  and  was  not  ashamed 
of  my  chain : 


15  This    thou    knowest,   that    all    that   are   in   Asia 
turned  away  from  me;  of  whom  are  Phygelus  and 

16  llermogeiies.     The     Loid    grant    mercy    uiilo    ihe 
house  ol  Ouesiphorus :  for  he  oft  refreshed  me,  aud 


14.  That  good  thing  which  was  com- 
mitted uuto  thee — or,  that  excellent,  deposit. 
The  same  word  as  in  ver.  12,  "that  which  I 
have  committed  unto  him  "  ;  but  there  it  de- 
notes a  deposit  intrusted  b^'  Paul  to  God — 
his  soul,  with  all  its  priceless  interests;  while 
here  it  is  a  deposit  intrusted  by  God  to  Tim- 
othy— the  everlasting  gospel,  with  all  its  pre- 
cious promises  and  hopes  for  men.  The  ex- 
hortation is,  then,  that  he  guard  or  keep 
sacredly  that  priceless  trust  by  holding  the 
gospel  in  its  puritj'  aud  proclaiming  it  with 
all  fidelity. 

Keep  by  {means  of)  the  Holy  Ghost  which 
dwelleth  in  us.  This  sacred  deposit  ho  is  to 
guard,  not  by  his  own  power,  but  by  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  dwells  in  all  believers 
and  who  alone  can  enable  the  Christian  min- 
ister to  guard  this  hol3'  trust  of  the  gospel. 
The  indwelling  Spirit  is  everywhere  repre- 
sented as  the  source  of  spiritual  life  and 
power.  See  Zech.  4:6;  Luke  12  :  12;  John 
14:  17,  26;  Acts  1:8;  4  :  31 ;  Rom.  8:  26;  1 
Cor.  12:7-10;  Gal.  5:22,  23;  Eph.  3:16. 
''  As  if  he  had  said,  I  do  not  ask  from  thee 
more  than  thou  canst;  for  what  thou  hast  not 
from  thyself  the  Spirit  of  God  will  supply  to 
thee."  (Calvin.)  "What  Paul  says  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  as  indwelling  within  the  believer, 
refers  us  to  the  highest  blessing  of  the  New 
Covenant,  in  which  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the 
immanent,  vital  principle  of  all  the  redeemed. 
During  the  Old  Covenant,  he  overshadowed 
momentarily  individual,  holy  men  of  God; 
in  the  New,  he  abides  perpetually  in  the  heart 
of  each  Christian."     (Van  Oosterzee. ) 

15.  This  thou  knowest  that  all  they 
which  are  in  Asia  be  turned  away  from 
me.  Who  these  persons  were  we  have  no 
means  of  knowing,  but  probably  they  wore 
Christians  from  Proconsular  Asia,  who  had 
come  to  Rome,  but,  terrified  by  the  peril  in 
which  Paul  stood,  had  avoided  him,  shrink- 
ing from  recognition  as  his  disciples  and 
friends,  and  leaving  him  in  his  prison  unvis- 
ited  and  uncomforted,  lest  they  also  should 
come  under  persecution.  This  neglect  of  him 
in   his  bonds  was,   doubtless,    all    the    more 


keenly  felt  by  the  apostle,  since  some  of  them 
were  probably  converted  under  his  ministry 
when  in  Asi^.  It  has  been  supposed  that  they 
came  to  Rome  as  witnesses  in  Paul's  behalf  on 
the  trial ;  but,  appalled  by  the  danger  in  which 
he  stood,  had  refused  to  ai)pear  and  testify 
before  the  Imperial  Court.  Such  n  fact  is 
touchingly  alluded  to  by  Paul.  (4:i6.)  Their 
desertion  of  him  was  already,  in  some  way, 
known  to  Timothy  ;  but  the  apostle  mentions 
it,  as  well  as  the  noble  fidelity  of  Onesiphorus, 
as  an  incentive  to  fidelity  in  Timothy,  and 
especially  as  a  cogent  reason  for  hastening  his 
coming  to  Rome  to  the  help  of  his  aged,  but 
now  deserted,  father  in  the  gospel.  'Asia' 
designates  the  Roman  province  of  that  name 
on  the  western  coast  of  Asia  Minor,  which 
included  Mysia,  Phrygia,  Lydia,  and  Caria. 
Of  whom  are  Fhygellns  and  Hermo- 
genes — mentioned  by  name,  either  because 
more  prominent  than  the  rest  and  better 
known  to  Timothy,  or  because  their  relations 
to  the  apostle  were  of  a  special  character,  ren- 
dering their  desertion  of  him  a  more  aggra- 
vated oifense.  We  have  no  other  mention  of 
them. 

16.  The  Lord  give  mercy  unto  the 
house  of  Onesiphorus.  In  contrast  with 
those  of  Asia,  he  now  presents,  as  an  incentive 
to  Timothy,  the  noble  conduct  of  Onesiphorus, 
a  resident  of  Ephesus  (*-^^),  who,  when  at 
Rome,  instead  of  shrinking  from  the  danger, 
had  taken  special  pains  to  find  the  apostle 
and  extend  practical  sympathy.  For  he  oft 
refreshed  me,  and  Avas  not  ashamed  of 
my  chain.  He  had  with  all  courage  brought 
comfort  of  mind  and  body  to  the  apostle  in 
his  prison,  and  this,  not  once  only,  hat  often. 
"  Next  to  suffering  for  the  sake  of  the  gospel, 
the  grandest  thing  is  to  support  the  persecuted 
against  the  world,  to  iticur  danger  for  them, 
as  Jerome  for  Huss,  as  Frederick  the  Wise 
for  Luther.  Jesus  recognizes  that  as  done 
unto  himself  (Mati.is:  40,41.)"  (Heubner. )  See 
Heb.  10  :  32-34.  '  My  chain'  may  indicate  that 
Paul — in  this  second  imprisonment,  as  in  the 
first — was  bound  to  a  soldier  by  a  chain,     (aou 

28:  20;  Eph.  6:20.) 


92 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  II. 


17  But,  whea  he  was  in  Rome,  he  sought  me  out  very 
diligently,  and  found  me. 

Is  Xbe  Lord  grant  unto  him  that  lie  may  find  mercy 
of  the  Lord  in  that  day  :  and  in  how  many  things  he 
ministered  unto  me  at  Ephesus,  thou  kuowest  very 
welL 


I  17  was  not  ashamed  of  my  chain  ;  bnt,  when  he  was  in 

18  Rome  he  sought  me  diligently,  and  found  me  (the 

Lord  grant  unto  him  to  find  mercy  of  the  Lord  in 

that  aay);  and  in  liow  many  things  he  ministered 

at  Ephesus,  thou  knowest  very  well. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THOU  therefore,  my  son,  be  strong  in  the  grace  that 
is  iu  Christ  Jesus. 


Thou  therefore,  my  child,  be  strengthened  in  the 


17.  But  when  he  was  in  Rome,  he 
sought  me  out  very  diligently,  and  found 

me.  Among  the  multitude  of  prisoners  at 
Rome  from  all  parts  of  the  empire,  it  might 
be  no  easy  task  to  find  Paul ;  but  Onesiphorus 
persisted  in  the  search  till  he  found  him, 
although  the  hazard  of  such  a  search  and  of 
identifying  himself  with  such  a  prisoner  must 
have  been  extreme,  during  tliis  fearful  perse- 
cution of  Christians  in  the  last  days  of  Nero. 
The  fact  that  it  was  not  easy  to  find  Paul  shows 
that  this  is  a  different  imprisonment  from  that 
described  in  Acts  28:30,  when  he  "dwelt  in 
his  own  hired  house,  and  received  all  that 
came  to  him,  preaching  the  kingdom  of  God 
....  no  man  forbidding  him"  ;  for  then  he 
must  have  been  known  to  all  the  Jews  in 
Rome,  as  well  as  to  many  others.  'Very  dili- 
gently';  the  Sinaitic  and  Vatican  manu- 
scripts, have  here,  not  the  camparative,  but 
(<TirovSai<ai),  diligently,  zealously,  which  is  prob- 
ably the  true  reading. 

18.  The  Lord  grant  unto  him  that  he 
may  find  mercy  of  the  Lord  in  that  day. 
'The  Lord  grant'  had  doubtless  already 
become  a  formula  of  invocation;  hence  the 
repetition  of  Lord  in  immediate  connection. 
The  kindness  which  the  aged  and  imprisoned 
apostle  himself  could  never  repay,  he  asks  that 
the  Lord  may  reward  by  bestowing  mercy  on 
his  faithful  friend  in  the  day  of  judgment,  in 
accordance  with  Matt.  5 :  7 ;  10  :  42 ;  25  :  34-40; 
for  he  was  indeed  "sick  and  in  prison,"  and 
Onesiphorus  "visited"  him.  Roman  inter- 
preters, from  the  mention  of  "the  house  of 
Onesiphorus"  (ver.ie;  4:  i9)  have  inferred  tliat 
he  was  not  himself  living  at  the  time  this 
Epistle  was  written,  and  have  used  this  passage 
as  an  argument  for  prayers  in  behalf  of  the 
dead.  But  the  tissumption  of  Onesiphorus' 
death  is  wholly  gratuitous  ;  the  utmost  that 
can  legitimately  be  inferred  from  the  absence 
of  salutation  to  him  is  that  Paul,  knowing  the 
plans  of  Onesiphorus'  journey,  did  not  sup- 
pose that  he  would  have  reached  Ephesus  at 


the  time  this  Epistle  was  received,  and  there- 
fore sent  salutation  to  his  household  rather 
than  to  him.  In  any  case  the  prayer  does  not 
ask  deliverance  from  purgatory,  as  Romish 
prayers  for  the  dead,  but  that  "he  may  find 
mercy  of  the  Lord  in  that  day,"  the  day  of 
final  Judgment.  "This  prayer  shows  how 
much  richer  a  recompense  awaits  those  who, 
without  expectation  of  earthly  reward,  per- 
form kind  offices  to  the  saints,  than  if  they  re- 
ceived it  immediately  from  the  hand  of  men." 
(Calvin.)  And  in  hoAV  many  things  he 
ministered  unto  me  at  Ephesus  thou 
knowest  very  well.  The  Greek  has  the  com- 
parative better,  not  the  positive.  (See  Winer's 
New  Testatnent  Grammar,  section  85,4,  Thay- 
er's edition.)  Tiie  thought  is  not  barely  of 
the  personal  service  rendered  by  him  to  Paul 
at  Ephesus;  but,  in  general,  of  the  service  he 
had  done  the  Christian  cause  there,  of  which 
Timoth3'  from  his  residence  there  had  even 
better  knowledge  than  the  apostle  hitiiself. 
What  Onesiphorus  had  done  for  Paul  at 
Rome  was,  therefore,  only  one  instance  in  a 
life  marked  throughout  by  deeds  of  self-sac- 
rificing faith  and  love.  'Unto  me,"  in  the 
English  and  Latin  versions,  but  wanting  in  the 
Greek ;  the  expression,  therefore,  indicates 
the  general  kindness  and  beneficence  of  his 
conduct  in  the  church. 


Ch.  2  :  This  chapter  is  filled  with  exhorta- 
tions and  counsels  founded  on  the  preceding 
exhibiti<m  of  Timothy's  duties  and  (Jangers, 
and  adapted  to  incite  him  to  courage  and 
fidelity  in  his  ministerial  office. 

1,2.  Necessity  of  Being  Filled  with 
Power  by  the  Grace  in  Christ — espe- 
cially in  view  of  the  duty  of  the  ministry  to 
transmit  the  gospel  unimpaired  to  faithful 
men  who  shall  be  competent  to  teach  others 
also.  Thou,  therefore,  my  son  (child),  be 
strong.  In  view  of  the  above  examples 
(1 :  11-18)  as  warned,  on  the  one  hand,  by  the 


Ch.  IL] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


93 


2  And  the  things  that  thou  hast  heard  of  nie  among 
many  witnesses,  tlie  same  cojumit  thou  to  faithful  men, 
who  shall  be  able  to  teach  others  also. 


2  grace  that  is  in  Thrist  Jesus.  .And  the  thing!'  which 
thou  hast  heard  from  me  among  many  wiincsxa, 
the  same  commit  thou  to  I'aitht'ul  men, who  shall  be 


defection  of  all  them  "that  are  in  Asia,"  and 
as  inspired,  on  tlie  other,  by  the  faith  and 
courage  of  Paul  and  the  fidelity  of  Onesi- 
phorus,  be  thou  strengthened,  or  tilled  with 
power,  that  thou  mayest  be  faithful.  Not, 
'be  strong,'  but  either  the  passive  voice,  he 
strengthened,  or  the  middle,  strengthen  thy- 
self. Compare  1 :  7.  God  has  given  us  the 
spirit  of  po)/;er.  (Rum.  4:20;  Eph.  6:io.)  The  man- 
lier in  which  this  strength  is  to  be  obtained  is 
set  forth.  (Kph.6:ii-M.)  In  the  grace — grace 
is  here  the  insplieriiig  element,  the  spiritual 
atmosphere,  in  which  the  Christian  soul  exists, 
and  from  which,  as  a  vitalizing  principle,  the 
soul  derives  strength.  He  is  to  find  strength, 
to  be  filled  witii  power  for  work  and  conflict, 
by  drawing  it  from  the  grace  in  Christ,  the 
quickening,  empowering  element  in  which  a 
Christian  lives.  (2Peter3:  is.)  "Grow  in  grace 
and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ."  Which  is  in  Christ  Jesus — 
the  grace  which  is  only  in  him,  and  whii'h  he 
imparts  to  all  who  are  in  living  union  with 
him,  as  the  vine  imparts  the  life  and  fruit- 
power  to  thebranches  abiding  in  it.  (Johni5:4,5.) 
Being  ^strong  in  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ 
Jesus'  may  be  understood — 1.  In  opposition 
to  the  weakness  of  grace.  Where  there  is  the 
truth  of  grace,  there  must  be  a  laboring  after 
the  strength  of  grace.  As  our  trials  increase, 
we  have  need  to  grow  stronger  and  stronger 
in  that  which  is  good;  our  faith  stronger,  our 
resolution  stronger,  our  love  to  God  and  Christ 
stronger.  2.  In  opposition  to  our  being  strong 
in  our  own  strength.  '  Be  strong,  not  confid- 
ing in  thy  own  sufficiency,  but  in  the  grace 
that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.'  Compare  Eph.  G:10. 
"  'Be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  of 
his  might.'  When  Peter  promised  to  die  for 
Christ  rather  than  deny  him,  he  was  strong  in 
his  own  strength ;  had  he  been  strong  in  the 
grace  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  he  had  kept  his 
standing  better."     (Henry.) 

And  the  things  that  thou  hast  heard  of 
me  among  many  witnesses.  The  'wit- 
nesses '  here  are  probably  the  elders  and  others 
who  were  present  at  Timothy's  ordination, 
and  who  listened  to,  and  participated  in, 
Paul's  solemn  charge,  in  committing  to  liim 
tiie  gospel   and  the   ministerial    oflice.     The 


'  things  heard '  are  the  fundamental  truths  of 

the  gospel,  an  outline  of  which,  it  is  possible, 
Paul  presented  on  that  occasion.  (i:i:).) 
Thus  most  interpreters.  Others  refer  '  wit- 
nesses'  to  the  believing  multitudes  who,  with 
Timothy,  had  at  diftereiit  times  listened  to 
Paul's  preaching,  and  who  by  their  faith  had 
attested  the  truth  of  the  doctrines  proclaimed. 
Thus  Van  Oosterzee,  Fairbairn.  Conybeare. 
In  any  case,  the  word  '  witnesses'  implies  that 
those  thus  designated  concurred  in  the  things 
spoken  by  Paul,  in  such  sense  that  their  very 
presence  was  an  impressive  attestation  and 
emphasis  of  them.  The  same  commit  thou 
— or,  these  deliver  thou  in  trust,  as  a  precious 
deposit.  (•:"•)  To  faithful  men — not  only 
believing,  but  faithful  men — men  worthy  of  the 
trust.  Who  (such  as)  shall  be  able  to 
teach  others  also— that  is,  teach  other  faith- 
ful, or  trustworthy  men,  who  in  turn  shall  be 
put  in  trust  with  the  gospel.  The  thought  is, 
that  from  age  to  age,  in  accordance  with  Eph. 
1  :  14,  Christ  will  raise  up  and  qualify  men 
for  the  ministerial  office,  to  whom  the  gospel 
is  to  be  handed  down  unimpaired,  "for  the 
perfecting  of  the  saints^  for  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of 
Christ."  "The  true  keeping  of  the  deposit 
entrusted  to  thee  will  involve  th^-  handing  it 
on  unimpaired  to  others,  who  may  in  their 
turn  hand  it  on  again.  But  in  order  to  this, 
thou  must  be  strong  in  grace;  thou  must  be  a 
fellow-sufferer  with  me  in  hardships:  thou 
must  strive  lawfully;  thou  must  not  be  en- 
tangled in  life's  matters."  (Alford.)  Thn«, 
also,  De  Wette,  Wiesingcr,  Huther,  Fairbairn. 
Other  interpreters,  as  Van  Oosterzee  and 
Whitby,  understand  'others'  of  the  congre- 
gation, not  of  ministers. 

Two  things  are  here  to  be  observed  :  1.  The 
marks  of  a  true  ministry,  as  here  presented, 
do  not  consist  in  an  outward  succession  frf)m 
the  apostles,  and  the  imposition  of  a  bishop's 
hands.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  found  :  (a) 
In  the  character  of  the  men;  they  must  be 
faithful,  personally  worthy  of  the  high  trust. 
(6)  In  what  they  preach;  this  must  be  the 
true,  apostolic  gospel,  as  taught  by  the  apos- 
tle himself,  and  committed  to  Timothy  to 
preach   to  others,     (c)   In  their  competency 


94 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  II. 


3  Thou  therefore  endure  hardness,  as  a  good  soldier 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

4  No  mail  that  warreth  entangleth  himself  with  the 
affairs  of  this  life;  that  he  may  please  him  who  hath 
chosen  liim  to  be  a  soldier. 


3  able  to  teach  others  also.    '  Suffer  liardship  with  me, 

4  as  a  good  soldier  of  Christ  Jesus.  No  soldier  ou 
service  entangleth  himself  iu  the  affairs  o!'  tliin  life; 
that  he  may  please  him  who  enrolled  him  as  a  sol- 


1  Or,  Take  thy  part  in  suffering  hardahip,  as,  etc. 


for  the  work;  they  must  be  able  to  teach 
others.  2.  The  ministry  have  a  distinct  and 
solemn  responsibility  in  the  ordination  of  a 
minister.  In  setting  apart  to  the  sacred  office, 
it  is  their  duty  to  ascertain  that  the  candidate 
proposed  is  faithful,  possessing  a  character 
such  as  makes  him  worthy  of  the  trust,  that 
he  holds  the  pure  gospel  as  it  is  taught  in 
Scripture,  and  that  he  has  such  ability  and 
training  as  render  him  competent  to  teach  this 
gospel  to  others.  The  selection  of  men  for  the 
pastoral  office,  does,  indeed,  belong  to  each 
ciiurch,  as  a  congregation  of  believers;  but  if 
the  men  thus  selected  and  presented  for  ordi- 
nation are  wanting  in  any  of  these  fundamen- 
tal qualifications,  it  is  the  plain  duty  of  the 
presbytery  to  refuse  to  ordain.  For,  as  min- 
isters, nnade  responsible  for  the  transmission 
of  a  pure  gospel  to  a  pure  and  competent  min- 
istry, they  are  charged  to  'commit  the  things,' 
the  apostolic  doctrines,  only  to  '  faithful  men,' 
such  as  shall  be  '  able  to  teach  others  also.'  In 
the  absence  of  these  essential  requisites  in  the 
candidate,  the  presbytery  has  no  right  to  set  a 
man  apart  to  the  sacred  office,  but  is  under 
solemn  obligation  to  refuse  to  sanction  his  en- 
trance on  it.  The  Lord  has  thus  doubly 
guarded  the  ministry  from  the  intrusion  of 
unworthy,  heretical,  or  incompetent  men,  by 
requiring  in  church  officers  not  only  that  they 
be  selected  by  an  act  of  the  church  as  a  con- 
gregation, but  also  that  they  be  approved  and 
set  apart  by  an  act  of  the  presbytery.  For 
the  apostles,  in  the  appointment  of  the  seven, 
gave  direction  to  "the  multitude  of  the  dis- 
ciples" :  "Look  ye  out  among  you  seven 
men  of  honest  report,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  wisdom,  whom  we  may  appoint  over  this 
business."  (Actsfi:i.6.)  This  principle  of  ap- 
pointment to  office — election  by  the  people, 
setting  apart  by  the  ministry — was  ordinarily 
observed  in  the  apostolic  churches;  in  which, 
therefore,  the  ultimate  responsibility  of  ad- 
mitting to  the  ministerial  office  plainly  de- 
volved on  the  ministry  itself     (Actsi3:i-3 ;  i4-23; 

1  Tim.  4:14;    5  i  2i  ;    TituO:5.)         As    at    that    period 

every  church  seems  to  have  had  a  plurality  of 


elders,  it  had  its  own  "  presbytery,"  and  thus 
it  possessed  within  itself  the  full  powers  neces- 
sary for  instituting  and  perpetuating  its  own 
ministry. 

3-13.  Exhortation  to  Endure  with 
Paul  Hardship  for  the  Gospel,  with  a 
Statement  of  the  Spirit  and  Motives 
with  which  It  Should  be  Endured. 

I.  3-7.  Illustrations  of  the  Spirit  in 
WHICH  SUCH  Hardship  is  to  be  Met.— 1. 
With  unreserved  devotion  to  Christ,  as  the 
soldier,  who  devotes  himself  wholly  to  the 
cause  of  him  by  whom  he  was  enrolled.  2. 
With  unshrinking  obedience  to  every  duty, 
as  the  athlete,  who  contends  in  the  games, 
shrinks  from  no  requirement  of  the  rules, 
however  severe  or  f)ainful,  that  he  may  win 
the  crown.  3.  With  undiscouraged  and  un- 
sparing toil,  as  the  husbandman,  who,  through 
persistent  toil,  secures  the  first  participation  of 
the  fruits  in  harvest.  These  illustrations,  Tim- 
othy is  exliorted  to  consider,  assured  that  the 
Lord  will  give  him  understanding  in  all 
things. 

3.  Thou  therefore  endure  hardness — 
or,  as  the  Revised  Version,  suffer  hardship 
with  me;  or,  take  thy  share  in  suffering.  He 
is  not  to  shrink  from  the  suffiirings  which 
must  needs  meet  all  faithful  ministers,  and 
which  especially  met  the  apostle  himself, 
(i  Tim.  1  :  18;  6:12.)  ' Thou  therefore ' —in  the 
Common  Version,  but  not  found  in  the  Si- 
naitic,  Alexandrian,  Ephraein,  and  other  an- 
cient codices.  As  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ.  This  figure,  presenting  the  Christian 
as  a  soldier,  is  one  common  with  the  apostle. 
See  1  Cor.  9:7;  2  C<ir.  10  :  3-6;  Eph.  6  :  10-20. 

4.  No  man  that  warreth  {no  soldier  when 
on  service)  entangleth  himself  with  the 
affairs  of  this  life— that  is,  with  the  business 
affairs  of  ordinary  life.  The  Roman  soldier 
was  expressly  restrained  from  this  by  the  rules 
of  the  armj'.  In  applying  the  figure,  how- 
ever, we  may  not  infer  that  the  minister  is  for- 
bidden to  use  a  secular  calling  as  a  means  of 
support,  if  need  be;  for  Paul  wrought  as  a 
tent  maker.     But  he  is  to  avoid  absorption  in 


Ch.  II.J 


11.  TIMOTHY. 


95 


5  And  if  a  man  also  strive  lor  masteries,  yet  is  he  not 
crowned,  except  lie  strive  lawt'iillv. 

6  Tlie  luif^baiidman  that  laboureth  must  be  first  par- 
taker of  the  fruits. 

7  Consider  what  I  say ;  and  the  Lord  give  thee  under- 
standing iu  all  things. 


5  dier.     And  if  also  a  man  contend  in  the  games,  he  is 
not  crowned,  except   he   have  contended   lawfully. 

6  The  husbandman  that  lalioureth  must  be  the  first  to 

7  partake  of  the  fruits.     Con.-!ider  what  1  say  ;  for  the 
Lord  shall  give  thee  understanding  in  all  things. 


it,  or  complications  in  connection  with  it,  such 
its  may  divert  him  in  spirit  from  his  higher, 
divine  calling.  It  is  not  a  secular  occupation, 
but  entanglement  in  it,  which  is  forbidden, 
(i  Cor.  7 :  32.)  Paul  WTought  in  an  earthly  occu- 
pation, but  his  whole  soul  was  absorbed  in  the 
one  work  of  proclaiming  Christ;  the  secular 
was  incidental,  only  a   means  to  the  higher 

end.    (Acts  20:  24,  31-35.)      '  Eutangleth.'     (2     eter2:20.) 

That  he  may  please  him  who  hath  chosen 

him  to  be  {enrolled  him  as)  a  soldier.     The 

merely  personal  will  and  private  interest  of 
the  soldier  yield,  in  an  absolute  devotement, 
tc  the  will  and  interest  of  the  commander.  In 
such  a  spirit  should  the  minister  conduct  his 
life,  with  no  separate,  personal  interest,  but 
with  absolute  self-devotement  to  the  will  and 
service  of  Christ,  seeking  only  to  please  him. 

(1  Thess.  2:4.) 

5.  And  if  a  man  also  strive  for  maste- 
ries— or,  if  also  any  athlete  contend  in  the 
games:  referring  to  the  well-known  athletic 
contests  in  the  Grecian  games.  (1  Cor.  9  :  24-27; 
Hub.  12:1.)  Yet  is  he  not  crowned,  except 
he  strive  lawfully— that  is,  according  to  the 
rules.  The  rules  of  the  games  prescribed  the 
time  and  manner  of  preparation,  as  well  as  the 
things  to  be  observed  in  the  contest  itself;  and 
these  requirements  taxed  to  the  utmost  the  en- 
durance and  strength  of  the  contestant,  alike 
in  the  jireparationand  the  struggle.  He  must 
be  "temperate  in  all  things,"  and  "keep  his 
body  under  and  bring  it  into  subjection." 
All  this  was  cheerfully  endured,  in  view  of 
the  prize,  the  crown  which  was  thereby  to  be 
won.  The  minister  of  Christ,  in  like  manner, 
is  not  to  shrink  from  the  hardships  appointed 
in  his  cour.se,  but  to  endure  them  with  all  for- 
titude, in  view  of  the  crown  of  life  at  the  end; 
since  only  through  the  endurance  of  the  ap- 
pointed toil  and  sufferings  will  that  crown  be 
won.  (4:7,8.)  "We  may  not  dispense  our- 
selves from  this  or  that  requirement  of  our 
vociition,  nor  fail,  in  conformity  to  our  incli- 
nation, to  encounter  an j- peril  or  danger  which 
it  imposes;  neither  pleasure  nor  convenience 
must  be  our  adviser,  if  we  would  win  the 
crown."     (Wiesinger.) 


6.  The  husbandman  that  laboureth  (is 
he  that)  must  be  first  partaker  of  the  fruits 

— that  is,  not  he  who,  discouraged,  has  ceased 
to  labor,  but  he  who  is  laboriously  at  work  in 
the  field  will  be  first  in  sharing  the  frtiits  at 
harvest.  To  him,  as  persistently  toiling  for 
the  crop,  belong,  according  to  a  fixed  law  of 
nature,  the  first,  highest  results  of  toil.  So 
thou,  the  apostle  would  say,  steadfastly  labor- 
ing in  preparing  the  soil  and  sowing  the  seed, 
wilt  at  the  harvest,  according  to  an  assured 
law  of  God's  kingdom,  be  first  to  partake  of 
the  glorious  results;  and  not  only  wilt  thou 
see  a  harvest  at  the  end,  but  thou  shalt  be  the 
richest  partaker  of  it,  since  it  is  preciselj'  the 
present  toil  and  suffering  which  give  capacity 
and  meetness  for  the  coming  blessedness  and 

glory.       (Luke  19  :  17,  26;  James  5:  7.)       "TllC  right   of 

first  participation  in  the  harvest  belongs  to 
him  who  is  laboring  in  the  field;  do  not  thou, 
therefore,  by  relaxing  this  labor,  forfeit  that 
right."     (Alford.) 

7.  Consider  what  I  say — that  is,  seek  to 
apprehend  the  true  significance  of  these  illus- 
trations; enter  into  their  real  meaning.  And 
(for)  the  Lord  (will)  give  thee  understand- 
ing in  all  things.  The  encouragement  to 
seek  an  apprehension  of  the  truth  is  that  he 
need  not  depend  on  his  own  imperfect,  erring 
faculties,  but  shall  have  the  promised  guidance 
of  the  Lord.  (John  14 :  26 ;  le :  13.)  "  To  collect 
the  sum  of  these  illustrations  :  '  Do  thou  take 
thy  share  with  me  in  suffering;  it  is  the  law 
and  condition  of  success.  The  soldier  on  duty 
must  deny  himself  all  the  advantages  and  en- 
dearments of  civil  and  domestic  life  ;  the  ath- 
lete in  the  games  must  not  hope  for  the  crown, 
unless  he  observes  the  stern  laws  of  tlie  training 
and  the  contest;  that  husbandman  only  who 
has  endured  the  toil  has  a  right  to  share  the 
fruits.'  "  (Bible  Com.)  For  the  Lord  will 
give — the  reading  found  in  the  best  manu- 
scripts.    [N  A  C  «^  D  E  F  G,  etc.— A.  H.] 

II.  8-13.  Incentives  to  the  ENDURixa 
OF  Such  Hardships.— 1.  The  glorious  object 
of  his  trust,  Clirist,  risen  and  glorified,  the 
royal  Seed  of  David,  exalted  on  the  throne  of 
universal  power.     2.  The  example  of  the  apos- 


96 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  II. 


8  Remember  that  Jesus  Christ  of  the  seed  of  David 
■was  raised  from  the  dead,  according  to  my  gospel : 

y  Wherein  1  sutler  trouble,  as  an  evil  doer,  teen  unto 
bonds;  but  the  word  of  God  is  not  bound. 


8  Remember  Jesus  Christ,  risen  from  the  dead,  of  the 

9  seed  of  David,  according   to   my   gospel :    wherein 
1  sutfer  hardship  unto  bonds,  as  a  malefactor;  but 


tie  himself,  who  is  enduring  suffering  even 
unto  bonds  as  a  malefactor,  that  God's  chosen 
may  obtain  salvation  with  eternal  glory,  while 
yet  the  word  of  God,  for  which  he  suffered, 
was,  notwithstandifig,  advancing  in  triumph. 
3.  The  sure  results  alike  of  enduring  and  of 
refusing  such  suffering;  on  the  one  hand, 
death  with  Christ  insures  life  with  him,  suffer- 
ing with  Christ  reigning  with  him;  on  the 
other,  if  any  shall  deny  Christ  be  will  deny 
them  ;  if  any  are  unfaithful,  he  remains  faith- 
ful to  his  word,  his  unchanging  truth  render- 
ing absolutely  certain  the  fulfiliment  alike  of 
his  promises  and  his  threatenings. 

8.  Remember  that  Jesus  Christ  of  the 
seed  of  David  was  raised  from  the  dead — 
Remember  Jesus  Christ  as  risen  from  the  dead, 
of  the  seed  of  David.  Tiie  resurrection  of 
Christ  was  not  only  the  crowning  proof  of  his 
Messiabship  and  of  the  truth  of  his  gospel, 
but,  above  all,  culminating  in  his  glorification, 
it  revealed  him  as  the  living,  exalted.  Al- 
mighty Redeemer ;  and  it  was  as  such  that 
Timothy  should  think  of  him,  as  an  incentive 
to  suffering  with  him.  That  once  suffering 
Saviour  is  not  now  in  the  tomb  dead.  Detith 
had  no  power  over  him.  He  broke  its  bands, 
and  now,  as  the  reward  of  his  suffering,  he  is 
living,  glorified,  invested  with  all  power  in 
heaven  and  earth.  As  he  through  suffering 
attained  to  eternal  glory,  so  also  shall  those 
who  suffer  with  him.  "Remember  Christ 
risen,  so  as  to  follow  him.  As  he  was  raised 
after  death,  so,  if  thou  wouldst  share  his  risen 
life,  thou  must  now  share  his  death."  (Faus- 
set. )  'Of  the  seed  of  David' — a  further  de- 
scription of  Christ;  the  words  standing  in  this 
position  in  the  Greek.  The  resurrection  and 
royal  exaltation  of  Christ  was  the  fulfillment 
of  God's  promise  to  David.  (2  sam.  7: 12-16;  Acts 
1.3:33-37:  Rom.  1:3,  4.)  He  was  the  truc  Son  of 
David,  the  Heir  of  all  the  glorious  promises 
made  respecting  David's  throne  and  kingdom. 
Exalted  to  universal  dominion,  he  took  his 
seat  on  that  heavenly  throne,  of  which  David's 
was  the  humble  earthly  type;  and,  as  we 
think  of  him  thus  invested  with  all  power,  it 
should  inspire  us  to  endure  hardship  with  him 
and  his  cause.     Possibly,  also,  the  reality  of 


Christ's  human  nature  is  here  emphasized. 
As  'of  the  seed  of  David,'  he  had  a  true 
human  nature,  and  passed  through  a  real 
human  life,  with  actual  human  sufferings. 
He  "was  tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are," 
and  thus,  "in  that  he  himself  hath  suffered, 
being  tempted,  he  is  able  to  succour  them  that 
are  tempted."  (Hob.  2:9-i8;  4:15.)  This  risen, 
glorified  Christ  is  man,  one  with  us,  though 
thus  exalted  ;  and  the  thought  of  him,  in  his 
perfect  fellowship  and  infinite  sympathy  with 
us,  should  nerve  us  to  suffering  with  him. 
According  to  my  gospel.  A  risen  Christ, 
as  the  hope  and  inspiration  of  his  church,  was 
the  constant  teaching  of  the  apostles.  Before 
the  sorrowing  and  persecuted  believers  they 
set  forth  the  glorious  array  of  ancient  heroes 
of  faith,  "  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses,"  and 
then  bade  their  disciples  "run  with  patience 
the  race  set  before  them,  looking  unto  Jesus, 
the  Author  and  Finisher  of  faith,  who,  for  the 
joy  that  was  set  before  him,  endured  the  cross, 
despising  the  shame,  and  is  set  down  at  the 
right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God."     (net  12: 1-3; 

1  Cor.  15:  15-20;  1  Peter  1:3.) 

9.  Wherein  (namely,  in  proclaiming  the 
gospel)  I  suffer  trouble,  as  an  evil  doer, 
even  unto  bonds.  Before,  he  has  directed 
Timothy  to  Christ,  the  risen  Saviour,  as  the 
inspiration  to  suffering  for  the  gospel ;  now, 
as  a  second  incentive  thereto,  he  cites  his  own 
example.  The  wonderful  catalogue  of  his 
sufferings  for  the  sake  of  the  gospel  is  twice 
given  at  length.  (2Ccr.  6:4-io;  u:  23-28.)  It  has 
no  parallel  in  human  history;  and  the  apos- 
tle's example,  in  this  utter  self-abnegation  for 
the  gospel,  of  which  Timothy  had  been  a 
constant  personal  witness,  might  well  inspire 
in  him  a  like  heroic  faith.  These  sufferings, 
which  had  attended  his  entire  ministry,  cul- 
minated in  the  bonds  of  his  final  imprisonment 
under  Nero,  in  which  he  was  held  as  a  male- 
factor, a  criminal,  and  which  was  probably 
the  severest  ordeal  of  his  life.  But  the  word 
of  (iod  is  not  bound.  The  apostle  himself 
is  bound ;  but  he  exults  in  the  tliought,  liere 
parenthetically  expressed,  that  the  word  of 
God — that  mighty  word,  originating  with  God, 
and  made  "  quick  and  powerful  "  by  his  pres- 


Ch.  II.] 


XL  TIMOTHY. 


97 


10  Tlierelore  I  endure  all  things  for  the  fleet's  sake, 
that  they  may  also  obtain  the  salvation  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  with  eternal  glory. 

11  //  is  a  faithful  saying :  For  if  we  be  dead  with  Aim, 
we  shall  also  live  with  him: 


10  the  word  of  God  is  not  bound.  Therefore  I  endure 
all  things  for  the  elect  s  sulie,  that  they  also  may 
olitaiu  the  salvation  which  is  in  I  hrist  .Jesus  with 

11  eternal  glory.    Faithful  is  the  'saying:  For  if  we 


1  Or,  saying ;  for  if,  etc. 


ence  therewith — is  not  bound.  With  irresist- 
ible, divine  energy  it  is  advancing  in  its  career 
of  triumph,  even  while  its  defenders  sutler 
imprisonment  and  martyrdom.  Men  die,  but 
Christ  and  his  gospel  live  and  triumph  through 
the  ages;  and  this  thought  is  to  Paul,  even 
amid  the  defection  of  friends  and  the  rage  of 
foes,  a  fountain  of  joy  and  hope.  (Act320:24; 
21 :  13.)  "  The  teacher  was  bound,  but  the  word 
was  flying  abroad  ;  he  dwelt  in  a  pri.son,  but 
his  doctrine  ran,  as  if  endowed  with  wings, 
over  all  the  world."     (Chr^'sostom. ) 

10.  Therefore  I  endure  all  things  for 
the  elect's  sake,  that  they  may  also  ob- 
tain the  salvation  Avhich  is  in  Christ 
Jesus  with  eternal  glory.  'Therefc^re'  is 
to  be  construed  with  what  follows.  Compare 
1  Tim.  1:1(3;  Philem.  15.  The  reason  he 
endures  hard.ship  is  that  the  elect  also — the 
whole  chosen  people  of  God,  as  well  as  those 
who  are  already  partakers— may  obtain  .salva- 
tion with  eternal  glory.  They  were  "chosen 
in  Christ  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  " 
(Eph.  1:4);  therefore  it  is  "the  salvation  which 
is  in  Christ  Jesus."  But  though  "the  elect," 
they  are  appointed  to  be  saved  "through 
sanctification  of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of  the 
truth  "  (•.!  T  ess.  2 :  13)  ;  and  the  pretiching  of  the 
gosi)el,  therefore,  is  necessary  to  their  obtain- 
ing salvation.  The  apostle  thinks  of  himself 
as  God's  messenger  to  carry  salvation  to  the 
elect,  whom  God  has  chosen  as  his  own  people; 
and  such  a  mission,  in  which  the  Lord  himself 
laid  down  his  life  (John  lo:  ii,  is),  seems  to  him 
worthy  of  utter  self-devotement,  even  unto 
bonds  and  death.  See  the  same  thought — 
Col.  1  :  24 — where,  speaking  of  himself,  he 
says  :  "  ^yho  now  rejoice  in  mj'  sufferings  for 
you,  and  fill  up  that  which  is  behind  of  the 
afflictions  of  Christ  in  nij'  flesh  for  his  body's 
Siike,  which  is  the  church."  "Next  to  the 
salvation  of  our  own  souls,  we  .should  be  will- 
ing to  do  and  suffer  anything  to  promote  the 
salvation  of  others."  (Henry.)  'Salvation' 
is  conceived  by  the  apostle  as  a  present  pos- 
session, already  secured  (Eph. 2:5),  but  this  is 
to  find  its  completion  in  '  eternal  glory.'     See 


E.OIT1.  8  :  14-2-5,  where  this  thought  Is  devel- 
oped at  length.  Salvation,  as  now  possessed 
by  the  believer,  is  only  in  its  incipiency  and 
potency:  it  will  hereafter  be  developed  in  its 
completeness  at  "the  adoption— to  wit,  the 
redemption  of  our  body."  Eternal  glory  is 
thus  the  grand  goal  of  that  salvation  we  have 
already  obtained  by  faith.  "  Salvation  begins 
with  our  regeneration,  and  is  com))leted  by 
our  perfect  deliverance,  when  God  takes  us 
away  from  the  miseries  of  this  mortal  life, 
and  gathers  us  into  his  kingdom.  To  this 
salvation  is  added  the  participation  of  heav- 
enly, that  i.«,  divine,  glory;  and,  therefore, 
in  order  to  magnify  the  grace  of  Christ,  he 
gave  to  salvation  the  name  of 'eternal  glory.'  " 
(Calvin.) 

11.  It  is  a  faithful  saying.  This  refers  to 
the  following  sayings,  and  is  intended  to  em- 
phasize them  as  containing  weighty  and  indu- 
bitable truth.  The  rhythmical  form  of  these 
sayings  certainly  suggests  that  they  maj-  have 
formed  part  of  a  hymn  sung  in  the  apostolic 
churches,  or  of  a  well-known,  inspired  utter- 
ance of  one  of  the  Christian  "prophets" 
(Eph.  4: 11);  but  of  this  the  evidence  is  not 
certain.  The  plain  design  of  their  use  here 
is  to  present,  as  a  third  motive  for  suflering  in 
Christ's  cause,  the  certain  results — on  the  one 
hand,  of  enduring  h.-irdsiiips  with  him;  and, 
on  the  other,  of  shrinking  from  such  hard- 
ships, and  thus  denying  him.  For  if  we  be 
dead  (di.ed)with.  him.  Faith  in  Christ  united 
us  with  him  in  his  death  (Kom. s:  i-is;  coi. 3 :3;  i 
Peier2;24);  but  this  Union  with  him  involves, 
not  only  a  new  relation  to  him,  whereby 
through  his  death  we  have  justification  with 
God,  but  also  a  true  and  real  fellowship  with 
him  in  the  spirit  and  objects  of  his  death,  so 
that  in  our  present  life  we  "know  the  power 
of  his  resurrection  and  have  fellowship  with 
his  sufferings,  being  made  conformable  to  his 
death."  (rhii.3:io:  2Cor.4:  lO;  6:9.)  "  Here,  also, 
ns  in  other  places  (Rnin.6:5:  Kph. 2:5),  a  fellow- 
ship with  Christ  is  set  forth  which  is  a  com- 
plete fellowship  of  life,  and,  consequently,  also 
a  fellowship  of  fortune,  not  barely  of  thought 


98 


IL  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  II. 


12  If  we  suffer,  we  shall  also  reign  with  tiim:  if  we 
deny  him,  he  also  will  deny  lis: 

l;i  If  we  believe  not,  yti  he  abideth  faithful :  he  can- 
not deny  himself. 

14  Of  these  things  put  Ihem  in  reraetubrance,  charg- 
ing them  before  the  Lord  that  ihey  strive  not  about 
words  to  no  profit,  but  to  the  subverting  of  the  hearers. 


12  died  with  him,  we  shall  also  live  with  him  :  if  we 
endure,  we  shall  also  reign  with  him:  if  we  shall 

13  deny  him,  he  also  will  deny  us;  if  we  are  faithless, 
he  abideth  laithful ;  for  he  cannot  deny  himself. 

14  Of  these  things  put  them  in  remembrance,  charg- 
ing them  in  the  sight  of  ithe  Lord,  that  they  strive 
not  about  words,  to  no  profit,  to  the  subvei'ting  of 


1  Many  aiicieni  authorities  read  God. 


and  feeling."  (Beck.)  We  shall  also  live 
Avith  him.  This  spiritual  death  with  him, 
with  its  consequent  "fellowship  with  his  suf- 
ferings," and  readiness  to  sutler,  if  need  be, 
bodily  death  with  him,  is  the  sure  pledge  of 
life  with  him,  not  only  present  spiritual  life 
(Rom.  6:8),  but  also  the  future  resurrection  life 
(Rom.  8 :  10, 11 ;  Phil.  3 :  10-21).  The  necessary  result  of 
sharing  his  death  now  is  the  eternal  sharing 
of  his  life. 

12.  If  Ave  suffer  {endure)  we  shall  also 
reign  with  him.  "They  who  suffered  with 
David  in  his  humiliation  were  preferred  with 
him  in  his  e.valtation ;  so  it  will  be  with  the 
Son  of  David."  (Henry.)  The  union  with 
him  in  suffering,  by  enduring  hardship  and 
death  for  him,  insures  ultimate  exaltation  with 
him.  See  Matt.  19  :  27-29;  Luke  22  :  20-30; 
Eom.  8  :  17;  1  Peter  1:7-9;  4  :  12-13;  Kev. 
1  :  10;  2  :  10;  3  :  21.  How  must  this  glorious 
truth,  believingly  apprehended,  have  thrilled 
tlie  souls  of  the  confessors  and  martj^rs  of 
Christ  in  ages  of  persecution !  But  it  does 
not  come  to  them  only.  "  Every  Christian  is 
under  obligation  to  die  with  Christ  through 
the  mortifying  of  his  own  pleasures  and  de- 
sires, and  tc  put  to  death  his  former  sins 
through  the  martyrdom  of  penitence."  (Ques- 
nel.)  If  Ave  deny  him,  he  also  will  deny 
lis.  The  denial  of  him  is  put  into  the  hypo- 
thetical form  as  something  possible.  Our  Lord 
himself  declared  this  with  marked  emphasis. 
(MMtt.  10:33;  Mark8:.'!8.)  Such  denial,  as  it  involved 
a  preferringof  self  above  him,  was  itself  proof 
that  there  had  been  no  real  death  with  him; 
and  he  will  therefore  say  to  such  at  the  last 
day:  ''''1  never  knew  you;  depart  from  me, 
ye  that  work  iniquity!"  (M:.tt.7: 23.)  The  de- 
nial of  Christ  hero  intended  is  not  the  outcome 
of  temporary  weakness  of  faith,  as  in  the  case 
of  Peter  (i-«ite  22 :  54-62),  but  of  the  nature  of  the 
man,  in  whom  self  has  never  been  crucified 
and  Christ  has  never  been  enthroned. 

13.  If  we  believe  not — that  is,,  are  in  a 
state  of  vnheiirf,  referring  to  the  condition 
of  those  who,  refusing  to  credit  God's  word. 


are  utterly  without  Christian  faith,  and,  as 
the  consequence,  refuse  to  suffer  hardship  for 
Christ.  The  present  tense  denotes  the  hab- 
itual state;  it  does  not  refer,  therefore,  to 
those  cases  of  temporary  obscuration  of  faith, 
or  of  unfaithfulness,  which  may  occur  in  the 
life  of  even  a  regenerate  person.  He  abideth 
faithful — that  is,  to  his  word,  which,  being  the 
expression  of  his  immutable  nature,  can^ever 
be  forfeited  ;  whether  it  be  his  word  of  promise 
or  his  word  of  threatening,  as  just  cited,  'If 
we  deny  him,  he  also  will  deny  us.'  Christ 
will  never  depart  from  that  solemn  word, 
which  pledges  him,  at  the  last  day,  to  oM'n 
those  who  have  owned  him,  and  to  deny  those 
who  have  denied  him.  He  cannot  deny 
himself.  As  a  being  of  perfect  truth,  he 
cannot  prove  fitlse  to  his  word.  (isam.i5:29; 
Titus  1 : 2;  Heb. 6:18.)  "Three  things  are  impossi- 
ble to  God — to  die,  to  lie,  and  to  be  deceived." 
(Augustine.)  As  the  unchangeable  Jehovah, 
his  word  of  threatening  is  as  sure  as  his  word 
of  promise:  both  rest  on  the  immutable  foun- 
dation of  his  eternal  truth  and  faithfulness. 

14-26.  Directions  TO  Timothy  Eespect- 
iNG  HIS  Spirit  and  Conduct  as  a  Chris- 
tian Teacher,  Especially  in  Dealing 
with  Heretical  and  Dlsturbing  Ten- 
dencies. 

I.  14-18.  The  apostle  enjoins  him  :  1.  To 
put  the  people  in  mind  of  the  truths  stated 
above  (ver.  8-13),  earnestly  charging  them  to 
avoid  strifes  of  words,  which  are  both  useless 
and  pernicious.  2.  To  present  himself  to  God 
approved,  as  a  workman  faithful  and  skillful 
in  handling  the  word  of  truth.  3.  To  shun 
vain  speculations,  the  tendency  of  which  is 
ever  to  greater  error  and  sin  ;  a  tendency 
which  has  already  shown  itself  in  the  case  of 
Hymeneus  and  Philetus,  men  who  thereby 
fell  into  a  destructive  heresy,  affirming  that 
the  resurrection  is  already  past,  and  who  are 
thus  subverting  the  souls  of  others. 

14.  Of  these  things  put  them  in  re- 
membrance— that  is,  the  things  just  men- 
tioned,    (ver.  8-13.)    Thc  prc-supposition  is,  that 


Ch.  II.] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


99 


1")  study  to  shew  tliyself  approved  unto  God,  a  work- 
uiaa  tUai  needctti  uot  to  be  a!:bumi.'d,  rightly  dividiug 
the  wiird  of  truth. 

16  But  sliuu  proTaiie  and  vain  babblings:  for  they 
will  increase  uuio  more  ungodliness. 


15  them  that  hear.  Give  diligence  to  present  thyself 
approved  unto  God,  a  Worl<m;in  that  needt-lh  u..t  to 
be   ashamed,  '  handling   aright    the  word  of  truth. 

16  liut  shun  prolaue  babblings:  lor  they  will  proceed 


1  Or,  holding  a  ttraight 


in  the  word  of  (rutft.    Or,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth. 


they  had  alretuly  been  taught  them,  but  they 
needed  to  be  reminded  of  them.  Charging 
them  before  the  Lord — as  if  in  the  presence 
of  the  Lord,  (i  Tim.  5:21;  2  Tim.  4:  i.)  Instead  of 
'  the  Lord,'  the  Sinaitic,  Ephraem,  and  other 
codices  read  Ond,  a  reading  which  is  adopted 
by  Tischendorf  and  by  Westcott  and  Hort. 
That  they  strive  not  about  words — an  evil 
specially  prevalent  in  the  Ephesian  Church. 
(1  Tim.  6 :  *.).  They  disputed  about  trifles,  where 
tlie  dilFerence  was  one  rather  of  words  than  of 
substance.  Or  the  reference  may  be  to  the 
"  v'ain  jangling,"  " profane  and  .old  wives' 
fables,"  and  "endless  genealogies,"  in  which 
they  were  so  prone  to  indulge.  Such  a  dispo- 
sition to  wrangle  about  words  indicated  a 
frivolous  mind,  destitute  of  the  truth  itself 
To  no  profit,  but  (tending)  to  the  subvert- 
ing of  the  heavens — 'subverting,'  or  de- 
stroying, tlie  opposite  of  edifying,  (acor. i3: 10.) 
Such  word-strifes  are  not  only  wholly  useless, 
but  they  also  tend  to  the  ruin  of  the  hearers. 
They  increase  rather  than  remove  doubts, 
while  they  stir  up  the  bitterest  passions. 

15.  Study  to  shew  thyself  approved 
unto  God.  Timothy,  in  contrast  witli  the 
teachers  above  mentioned,  is  to  be  chiefly  con- 
cerned to  present  himself  to  God  as  one  'ap- 
proved' ;  that  is,  one  who  has  been  tested,  and 
has  successfully  passed  the  test.  One  '  ap- 
proved '  is  the  opposite  of  "reprobate ' '  (Titus  1  •  le), 
or  a  castaway  {I  Cot. 9 -.ii)^  one  who  has  been 
tested  and  has  been  thereby  proved  worthless. 
While  careful,  by  the  manifestation  of  the 
truth,  to  commend  himself  to  every  man's 
conscience  in  the  sight  of  God,  his  chief 
thought  should  be,  not  of  men's  approval,  but 
of  the  approval  of  God.  "  He  commands 
Timothy  to  keep  his  eyes  fixed  on  God;  as  if 
he  had  said  :  Some  aim  at  the  applause  of  a 
crowded  assembly,  but  do  thou  study  to  ap- 
prove thyself  and  thy  ministry  to  God."  (Cal- 
vin.) A  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be 
ashamed — one  having  no  occasion  to  be 
ashamed;  that  is,  at  God's  judgment  in  the 
last  day,  when  every  man's  work  will  be 
tested,  "of  what  sort  it  is."     (1  cor. 3:9-15,-  4:3-5; 


Phil.  1:20.)  The  care  of  every  minister,  there- 
fore, should  be  so  to  labor  that  in  the  day 
when  his  work  shall  be  tried,  it  may  receive 
God's  approval.  The  'workman  that  needeth 
not  to  be  ashamed'  is  theopposite,  alikeof  those 
good,  but  careless  men,  whose  work,  built  of 
"wood,  hay,  stubble,"  "is  burned,''  though 
they  themselves  are  saved,  "  yet  so  as  by  fire  "; 
and  of  those  "  false  apostles,  deceitful  work- 
ers," whose  work  brings  ruin,  not  only  to 
others,  but  al.so  to  themselves.  (vCor.  11:13-15.) 
Rightly  dividing  {handling  aright)  the 
word  of  truth.  The  word  translated  '  rightly 
dividing'  signifies  cutting  straight,  as  in  lay- 
ing out  a  road,  or  marking  a  furrow.  (p>ov.  11 : 5.) 
"Ploughing the  furrows  of  sjjiritual  tillage  in 
a  straight  line."  (Theodoret.)  Here  it  means 
rightly  administering  or  handling.  The  rea- 
son he  will  not  be  ashamed  is  that  he  has 
rightly  handled  the  word  of  truth.  It  was 
done  in  such  manner  as  to  meet  the  approval 
of  God.  He  presented  with  fidelity  and  skill 
the  solemn,  glorious  trutbs  of  the  gospel,  and 
pressed  them  on  the  consciences  and  hearts  of 
men;  refusing  to  occupy  himself  in  frivolous 
strifes  and  questions,  or  in  tortuous  interpreta- 
tions of  God's  word.  (2  cor.  2:1-;  Gai.2 :  14.)  "  Let 
him  pass  over  nothing,  let  him  add  nothing, 
let  him  mutihite,  tear  in  pieces,  and  wrest 
nothing;  finally,  let  him  diligently  consider 
what  the  hearers  are  capable  of  receiving  and 
what  conduces  to  edification."     (Beza. ) 

16.  But  shun  profane  and  vain  bab- 
blings— stand  aloof  from,  as  one  who  shrinks 
from  an  object  of  disgust  or  terror.  (1  Tim.  6 :  20; 
Titus3:9.)  'Profane  babblings,'  emptj'  dis- 
courses, having  sound  rather  than  substance, 
dealing  with  subjects  which  are  trifling  rather 
than  serious  and  weighty.  "The  reference  is 
to  such  controversies  and  doctrines  as  tended 
only  to  produce  strife,  and  were  not  adapted 
to  promote  the  edification  of  the  cliurch." 
(Barnes.)  For  they  will  increase  unto 
more  ungodliness— th;it  i.s,  those  who  in- 
dulge in  profane  babblings  will  advance  to  a 
higher  pitch  of  imi)iety.  The  necessary  ten- 
dency of  such  is  from  b;id  to  worse,  ever  de- 


100 


11.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  II. 


17  And  their  word  will  eat  as  doth  a  canker  :  of  whom 
is  Hyuieneus  and  Philetus; 

IS  Who  conceniiug  the  truth  have  erred,  saying  that 
the  resurrection  is  past  ah-eady ;  and  overthrow  the 
faith  of  some. 


17  further  in  ungodliness,  and  their  word  will  i  eat  as 
dolh  a  gangrene:  of  whom  is  Hymenieus  and  Phi- 

18  letus;  men  who  concerning  the  truth   have  -  erred, 
saying  that  "  the  resurrection  is  past  already,  and 


1  Or.  spread  2  Ur.  missed  the  mark 3  Some  aucieut  aathoritiea  read  a  resurrection. 


veloping  into  more  pernicious  errors  and  worse 
courses  of  conduct. 

17.  And  their  word  will  eat^iterally, 
will  have  pasture,  "tlie  medical  term  for  the 
consuming  process  of  mortifying  disease."  It 
is  "an  eating  sore,"  which  feeds  on,  and  thus 
spreads  through,  contiguous  parts  of  tiie  body. 
As  doth  a  canker  (rt  gangrene),  "a  tumor, 
when  in  the  state  between  inflammation  and 
mortitication."  (Hippocrates.)  The  obvious 
thought  is,  that  the  tendency  of  profane  bab- 
blings is  to  increased  perversion  of  doctrine  and 
deterioration  of  character,  alike  in  the  indi- 
vidual and  in  the  whole  church.  Such  teach- 
ing is  like  a  cancer,  whose  roots  are  ever  pene- 
trating more  deeply,  and  whose  ravages  at  last 
waste  and  destroy  the  whole  body.  The 
apostle  foresees  that  the  errors  of  these  false 
teachers  will  infect  and  spread  through  their 
bearers,  and  thus  steadily  work  their  moral 
destruction.  "No  mtin  can  safelj'  hold  a 
single  error,  any  more  than  he  can  safely  have 
one  part  of  his  body  in  a  state  of  mortifica- 
tion"; and  what  is  true  of  the  individual  soul 
is  true  also  of  the  church  as  a  body.  Error  is 
a  diffusive  poison,  rapidly  spreading  through 
the  whole  bod^',  and  tending  to  vital  decay 
and  ultimate  destruction.  Of  whom  are 
Hymeneus  and  Philetus.  The  former  is 
mentioned  probably  in  1  Tim.  1 :  20,  where  he 
is  spoken  of  as  having  put  away  a  good  con- 
science and  made  shipwreck  of  faith.  Of  the 
latter,  we  have  no  further  knowledge.  These 
were  men  who  illustrated  in  their  career  this 
tendency  of  profane  babblings  to  increase  to 
the  worse;  for,  beginning  in  empty  specula- 
tions, they  had  now  advanced  to  the  perver- 
sion of  a  cardinal  truth  of  the  gospel. 

IS.  Who  concerning  the  truth  have 
erred — literally,  mi.tsed  the  mark,  (i  Tim.  i :«; 
6:21.)  Saying  that  the  resurrection  is  past 
already.  The  denial  of  a  future  bodily  res- 
urrection, though  a  conspicuous  feature  among 
the  Gnostics  of  the  second  century,  had  its 
roots  in  the  apostolic  age.  The  Sadducees, 
Therapeutae,  E.ssenes,  and  other  sects  rejected 
the  doctrine  of  a  resurrection;  the  Greek  phi- 


losophers scoffed  at  it  as  the  dream  of  a  mad- 
man (Acts  17: 32),  and  within  the  church  itself 
some  at  Corinth  taught  "that  there  is  no  res- 
urrection of  the  dead."  (i  cor.  i5:i2.)  The  form 
in  which  this  great  truth  was  here  denied  was, 
that  the  resurrection  was  already  past.  Pos- 
sibly they  regiirded  the  promise  of  the  resur- 
rection as  already  fulfilled  in  the  resurrection 
of  solne  of  the  bodies  of  the  saints,  in  connec- 
tion with  Christ's  rising  from  the  dead  (iiait. 
27:53);    but  more    probably    they    perverted 

Paul's     words    (Rom.6:4;  Eph,2:6;  CoI.2:12),    where 

the  believer  is  represented,  in  his  regenera- 
tion, which  is  symbolized  inbaptism,  as  dying 
and  rising  with  Christ;  and  thus,  by  a  false 
spiritualizing,  they  interpreted  the  resurrec- 
tion as  occurring  at  conversion,  when  the  soul 
rises  out  of  the  death  in  sin  into  the  new  life 
in  Christ.  "Death  and  resurrection  were 
terms  which  had  with  these  false  teachers  only 
a  spiritual  meaning  and  application;  they  al- 
legorized the  doctrine  and  turned  all  into 
figure  and  metaplior."  (Ellicott.)  And  over- 
throw (rt?'eo«e?-iA7'ow;/w(7)  the  faith  of  some. 
(Titu^i:!!.)  The  Icaven  of  evil  doctrine  was 
spreading  from  them,  with  the  danger  that  it 
might  diffuse  its  destructive  influence  through 
the  whole  bodj'.  (iTim.  i:  19,20.)  "It  is  true 
there  is  a  spiritual  resurrection,  but  from 
thence  to  infer  that  there  will  not  be  a  true 
and  real  resurrection  of  the  body  at  the  last 
day,  is  to  dash  one  truth  of  Christ  in  pieces 
against  another.  By  this  they  'overthrew  the 
faith  of  some,'  took  them  off  from  tlie  belief 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  ;  and  if  there 
be  no  resurrection  of  the  dead,  no  future  state, 
no  recompen.se  of  our  services  and  sufferings 
in  another  world,  we  are  of  all  men  most 
miserable.     (1  cor.  15 :  13-19.)  "     (Henry.) 

II.  19-21.  Timothy  is  not,  however,  to  be 
discouraged  when  such  perverters  of  the  gos- 
pel appear  in  tlie  church;  for  1.  The  firm 
foundation  of  God — namely,  his  invisible,  elect 
church — stands  fast,  since  the  inscription  it 
bears  attests  that  the  Lord  knows  his  chosen, 
and  that  these  will  not  fall  away  into  error 
and  siuv     2.  Such  false  and  heretical  teachers 


Ch.  II.] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


101 


VJ  Xevertheless  the  foundation  of  (iod  i^taudeth  sure, 
hiiviug  this  Seal,  The  Lord  k[io\veili  thiiu  tnai  are  his. 
Aud,  l^et  every  one  that  uauieth  the  name  of  Christ 
depart  from  iniquity. 


19  overthrow  the  faith  of  .some.  Ilowbiit  the  firm 
foiindution  of  (iod  standeth,  having  this  •-eal,  l  he 
Lord  kuoweth  them  that  are  liis:  and.  Let  every 
one  that  nameth  the  name  of  tlie  Lord  depart  I'roiu 


are  to  be  expected  in  the  church,  just  as  in  a 
Lirge  house,  in  addition  to  vessels  of  precious 
material  for  uses  of  honor,  there  are  also  ves- 
sels of  base  material  for  uses  of  dishonor.  3. 
His  chief  care,  therefore,  should  be  to  purify 
himself,  so  as  to  be  separate  from  these  baser 
vessels,  that  he  maybe  a  vessel  for  honor,  meet 
for  the  Master's  use. 

19.  Nevertheless  the  foundation  of  God 
standeth  sure.  Though  error  tlius  enters 
and  spreads  in  the  church,  and  the  faith  of 
some  is  thereby  subverted,  Timothy  is  not  to 
despair :  the  cause  of  truth  rests  on  God's  firm 
foundation.  This  foundation  is  the  true,  in- 
visible church,  as  composed  of  God's  elect; 
"the  congregation  of  the  faithful,  considered 
as  the  foundation  of  a  building  placed  by  God 
— house  (oUia),  spoken  of  in  the  next  verse." 
(Alford.)  The  invisible  church  is  the  perma- 
nent, unchanging  foundation  of  the  visible: 
the  one  is  '  sure  '  (firm),  as  composed  of  God's 
elect,  who  will  never  be  moved  from  the  truth 
(Eph.  2 :  17-21) ;  the  other,  built  on  it,  will,  in  spite 
of  all  care,  have  in  it  corrupt  members,  who 
will  be  led  astray  from  the  faith,  (i  Cor.  s  :9-i5.) 
Heresies,  in  the  divine  plan,  are  permitted,  in 
order  to  sift  the  church.  Our  Lord  said,  there- 
fore: "  It  must  needs  be  that  offences  come" 
(Matt.  18:7),  and  the  apostle  warned  the  Corinth- 
ian Church:  "There  must  be  also  heresies 
among  you,  that  they  which  are  approved 
may  be  made  manifest  among  you  (i  Cor.  u  :  19). 
In  tliis  process  of  testing,  God's  chosen  ones 
are  revealed,  in  that  they  remain  firm  in  the 
truth.  Having  (seeing  it  has)  this  seal 
— inscription,  showing  its  ownership  and  des- 
tination. In  all  ages  it  has  been  the  custom 
to  place  inscriptions  on  the  door  po.sts  (Deut.  6:9; 
II  :20),on  pillars  and  foundation  stones  (Kev.  21  :u), 
and  on  the  corner  stones  or  facades  of  public 
structures.  These  inscriptions  generally  con- 
sist of  a  brief,  expressive  form  of  words,  indi- 
cating the  origin,  character,  and  purpose  of  the 
building.  In  somewhat  similar  way  Christi.ms 
are  "sealed,"  or  certified  as  Gf>d's  people  bytiie 
Holy  Spirit,  in  "the  fruits  of  theSpirit,"  orthe 
new  chara(;ter-marl<s  that  he  places  on  them. 

(2  Cor.  1  :  22;  Eph.  1  :  13  ;  4  :  .TO.)     The  Lord  kUOAVeth 

them  that  are  his.     The  word  'knoweth' 


often  denotes  that  complete,  intimate  knowl- 
edge which  includes  the  perception  and  recog- 
nition of  the  object  by  all  the  powers — intel- 
lectual, affectional,  and  spiritual ;  and  thus, 
while  it  does  not  directly  signify  love,  ujjproval, 
choice,  it  still  involves  these  ideas  as  implied. 
Thus,  "The  Lord  knoweth  the  waj'  of  the 
righteous''  (ps.i:«);  "You  only  have  I  known 
of  all  the  families  of  the  earth"  (.\mos3:2). 
Jesus  said:  "I  am  the  good  shepherd,  and 
know  my  sheep,  and  am  known  of  mine" 
(jobiiio:i4, 25, 27);  and  at  the  Judgment  he  will 
say  to  the  hypocrites:   "I  never  knew  yon. ^^ 

(Matt  7  :25;  Gal.  4:9;  lJohu4:6-8).         In      tlieSC,      and 

other  passages,  the  word  plainly  denotes  more 
than  a  mere  intellectual  knowledge  :  it  points 
to  such  knowledge  as  involves  love,  approval, 
choice.  Here,  then,  the  firm  foundation  of 
God  stands  fast,  because  it  consists  of  God's 
known  or  chosen  saints.  Objects  of  his  choice, 
and  brought  by  his  Spirit  into  union  with  him, 
they  will  never  prove  faithless.  Christ  said  : 
"  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know  them 
and  they  follow  me;  and  I  give  unto  them 
eternal  life  and  they  shall  never  perish." 
(John  10:  27. 28.)  Others,  in  the  ordeal  of  trial, 
will  yield  to  temptation,  but  these  will  not  fall 
away.  (iJohii2:i9.)  In  the  darkest  period  of 
the  Old  Dispensatiim,  when  even  Elijah  de- 
spaired, God's  voice  cheered  his  prophet,  say- 
ing, "  I  have  reserved  to  myself  seven  thousand 
men  who  have  not  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal  " 
(1  Kings  19: 18);  and  in  all  ages,  amid  the  most 
wide-spread  iipostasies,  this  great  truth — that 
God  has  a  chosen  people  who  will  never  apos- 
tatise and  perish — has  been  the  support  and 
comfort  of  the  discouraged  servants  of  Chri.st. 

(Rom.  8:35-39;  IJohn  2  :  18-20. )      And,  Lct  eVefV  OHB 

that  nameth  the  name  of  the  Lord  depart 
from  iniquity.  This  is  the  other  inscription 
on  the  'sure  {firm)  foundation  of  God,'  his 
elect  church.  The  confession  of  Christ  as 
Lord  in  itself  involves  the  renunciation  of 
unrighteousness.  (Matt.  i« :  le.  n :  Luke  12 : 8. )  "No 
man  can  say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord,  but 
by  the  Holy  Ghost."  (icor.  12:3.)  "Whoso- 
ever shall  confess  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God,  God  dwelleth  in  him,  and  he  in  God." 
(ijohn4:2, 15.)      A  holy   life,   therefore,   is  an 


102 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  II. 


20  But  in  a  great  house  there  are  not  only  vessels  of  !  20  imiigliteousness.    Now  in  a  great  house  there  are 


gold  au(i  ol'  silver,  but  also  of  wood  and  of  earth;  and 
some  to  honour,  and  some  to  Uishouour. 

21  If  a  man  theiefure  purge  liimself  from  these,  he 
shall  be  a  vessel  unto  honour,  saiielitied,  and  meet  for 
the  master's  use,  and  prepared  unto  every  good  work. 


not  only  vessels  ol  gold  and  of  silver,  but  also  of 
wood  and  of  earth  ;  and  some  unto  honour,  and 
21  some  unto  dishonour.  If  a  man  therefore  purge 
himself  Irom  these,  he  shall  be  a  vessel  unto  honour, 
sanctified,  meet  for  the  master's  use,  prepared  unto 


essential  character  mark  of  him  who  ac- 
knowledges Clirist  as  Lord.  Two  grand  char- 
acteristics thus  distinguish  the  true  people  of 
God:  they  are  his  elect,  and  therefore  are  led 
and  guarded  by  his  Spirit ;  they  acknowledge 
Christ  the  Holy  One  as  their  Lord,  and  there- 
fore follow  him  in  a  life  of  holy  obedience. 
They  "  are  kept  by  the  power  of  God,  through 
faith,  unto  salvation."  (iPeteri:5.)  "God's 
part  and  man's  part  are  marked  out;  God 
chooseth  and  knoweth  his  elect.  Our  part  is 
to  believe,  and  by  the  Spirit  depart  from  all 
iniquity,  an  unequivocal  proof  of  our  being 
the  Lord's."  (Fausset.)  Both  inscriptions 
are  supposed  to  allude  to  Num.  16  :  5,  21,  in 
which  there  are  expressions  nearly  similar  in 
form — the  false  teaclicrs  being  compared  to 
Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram,  and  the  true 
Christians  to  Moses  and  the  faithful  in  Israel, 
who  were  not  carried  away  in  the  rebellion, 
and  remained  safe  when  the  earth  opened  and 
swallowed  up  the  rebellious. 

30.  But  in  a  great  house — that  is,  the 
house  built  on  tliis  firm  foundation ;  naniely, 
the  visible,  professing  church,  which,  in  spite 
of  all  care,  will  contain  false  as  well  as  true 
professors.  (i  Tin.,  a :  is.)  The  apostle  would 
not  have  Timothy  be  discouraged  by  the  pres- 
ence of  heretical  and  corrupt  men  in  the 
church,  since  this  was  to  be  expected.  There 
are  not  only  vessels  of  gold  and  silver — 
true  Christians,  in  whom  the  rich  grace  of  God 
dwells  and  whose  character  and  life  are 
adorned  with  the  precious  virtues  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  But  also  of  wood  and  of  earth — 
false  professors,  in  whom  that  grace  is  wanting 
and  the  character  and  life  reveal  an  unregen- 
erate  nature.  Thus  "gold,  silver,  precious 
stones,"  the  genuine  and  imperishable  mater- 
ials for  God's  building,  are  contrasted  with 
"  wood,  hay,  stubble,"  the  false  and  perish- 
able, as  they  will  appear  when  he  shall  subject 
the  work  of  his  servants  to  his  fiery  test,  (i  Cor. 
3:12,13.)  A  similar  contrast  between  the  gen- 
uine and  the  false  among  professing  Christians 
is  found  in  the  parable  of  the  wheat  and  tares, 
andof  the  net.  (Matt.  13:24-30,47.)  And  some  to 
honour)  and  some  to  dishonour — showing 


the  diverse  use  and  destination  of  these  vessels. 
Each  of  these  classes,  the  true  and  the  false, 
are  consciously  or  unconsciously,  willingly  or 
unwillingly,  serving  the  purposes  of  God  and 
doing  his  work,  but  with  a  service  dissimilar 
in  its  nature  and  with  a  difl"erent  destined  end. 
■'In  the  visible  church,  not  only  true  Chris- 
tians and  faithful  ministers  are  found,  as 
willing  instruments  in  the  honorable  work  of 
glorifying  God  and  promoting  the  good  of 
men,  but  persons  also  of  a  ditferent  character, 
whose  hj'pocrisy  and  iniquity  are  overruled, 
contrary  to  their  intentions,  to  fulfill  his  right- 
eous purposes,  though  to  their  own  ruin  and 
'everlasting  contempt.'  "     (Scott.) 

21.  If  a  man  therefore  purge  himself 
from  these — separate,  keep  himself  distinct 
from  these  false,  heretical  professors,  the  "ves- 
sels of  wood  and  of  earth."  He  is  thoroughly 
to  purify  himself,  so  as  to  be  separate,  both  in 
character  and  association,  from  them.  "All 
who  consecrate  themselves  to  the  Lord  must 
purge  themselves  from  the  filthiness  of  the  un- 
godly." (Calvin.)  Error  and  unrighteousness 
having,  like  gangrene,  a  tendency  to  self-ditFu- 
sion,  safety  from  it  is  only  found  in  separation. 
(1  Cnr.  5 : 6-13.)  The  reference  here  is  not  to  moral 
only  but  also  to  outward  separation.  Such 
must  not  be  held  in  fellowship,  in  the  association 
either  of  the  church  or  of  social  life.  (Rom.i6:i7;2 
Thess.3:6.i4;2joiinio.)  He  shall  bc  a  vcssel  unto 
honour — a  Christian  adorning  the  doctrine 
and  the  church  of  God,  and  used  for  noble 
ends  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  Sanctified 
— separated,  consecrated  to  the  Lord.  Meet 
for  the  master's  use — possessed  of  a  spirit 
and  character  adapted  to  the  service  of  the 
Master.  The  figure  of  a  household  vessel, 
5  or  utensil,  is  still  present:  he  will  be  a 
vessel  worthy  to  be  used  by  such  a  Master. 
And  prepared  unto  every  good  work — 
filled  with  all  the  Christian  virtues,  and  thus 
in  fervent  sympathy  with  every  good  work, 
and  fitted  to  engage  in  it.  The  thought 
is  of  a  fully  rounded  Christian  cliaraoter,  in 
living,  holy  sympathy  with  all  that  is  true 
and  noble  and  Christlike  in  word  and  deed. 
Such  a  life  is  described  (2  Peter  i:  5-11)  adorned 


Ch.  II.] 


11.  TIMOTHY. 


103 


22  Flee  also  ymuhful  lusts:  but  follow  righteousness, 
fail)*,  eliaiiiy,  peace,  witli  tbem  that  call  ou  the  Lord 
out  of  a  pure  liearl. 

2  .  IJut  foolish  and  unlearned  questions  avoid,  kuow- 
iuK  that  they  do  gender  strifes. 

2i  And  the  servant  of  the  Lord  must  not  strive ;  but 
be  gentle  unto  all  men,  apt  to  teach,  patient ; 


22  every  good  work.     Hut  flee  youthful  lusts,  and  lol- 
low  after  righteousness,  lailh,  love,  peace,  with  lluiu 

23  ihat  call  ou  the  Lord  out  of  u  Jiure  liearl.     IJui  loul- 
ish  and  iguoiant  questionings  reluse,  knowing  iliat 

24  tliey  gender  strifes.     And  tlie  Lord's  '  servant  must 
not  strive,  but  be  gentle  towards  all,  apt  to  teach, 


1  Gr,  bondservant. 


with  all  the  Christian  graces,  and  resulting  at 
last  in  "an  entrance  ministered  abundantly 
into  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ."     (3:17;  tuus3:i.) 

III.  23-26.  Timothy  is,  therefore,  to  flee 
youthful  lusts  and  to  follow  the  Christian  vir- 
tues; to  avoid  useless  questions  and  strifes, 
with  gentleness  instructing  those  who  oppose, 
in  hope  that  God  m:iy  lead  them  to  repent- 
ance, and  that,  thus  coming  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth,  they  may  recover  themselves 
from  the  snare  of  the  devil. 

22.  Flee  also  youthful  lusts— referring 
not  only  to  sensual  passion,  but  all  the  irreg- 
ular desires  and  propensities  belonging  to 
earlier  life,  as  self-conceit,  pride,  ambition, 
love  of  applause;  "any  impetuous  passions 
to  which  the  warmth  of  that  age  is  prone." 
The  apostle  has  especially  in  mind  such  as  are 
the  opposite  of  the  after-named  virtues.  (iTim. 
6:11.)  But — only  by  avoiding  such  lusts  will 
he  be  "meet  for  the  Master's  use  and  pre- 
pared for  every  good  work."  Follow  right- 
eousness— "moral  rectitude,  as  contr§isted 
with 'unrighteousness' (iiiicia).  (ver.w.)"  (Al- 
ford. )  Faith,  charity  {luce) — the  sources  of 
true  Christian  character,  from  which  flow  all 
genuine  virtues  in  the  life.  "The  exciting  of 
our  graces  will  be  the  extinguishing  of  our 
corruptions  ;  the  more  we  follow  that  which  is 
good,  the  faster  and  further  we  shall  flee  from 
that  which  is  evii.  Righteousness  and  faith 
and  love  will  be  excellent  antidotes  again.st 
youthful  lusts."  (Henry.)  Peace,  with  them 
that  call  on  the  Lord  out  of  a  pure  heart. 
The  minister  is  to  "follow  peace  with  all 
men  ■'  (Heb.  12 :  n)  ■  but  his  deepest,  truest  sym- 
pathy, fellowship,  the  peace  of  complacency, 
should  be  with  true  Christians — those  who 
with  singleness  of  heart  call  upon  the  Lord. 
'  Call  on  the  Lord ' — a  characteristic  of  the 
genuine  disciple  of  Christ,  and  hence  used  «s 
a  descriptive  designation.  (Act«2:'ii;  Eom.  io:i2; 
I  Cor.  1:2.)  '•  The  lesson  here  comes  out  again, 
so  often  and  in  so  many  ways  presented  in 
these  Pastoral  Epistles,  that  a  sound   moral 


condition  is,  above  all  things,  essential  to  fit- 
ness for  eflective  ministerial  service  in  the 
divine  kingdom.  Other  things  may  be  more 
or  less  helpful,  but  this  is  indispensable.  The 
peace  spoken  of  is  undoubtedly  to  be  under- 
stood of  peace  in  the  closer  sense — a  state  of 
inner  harmony  and  agreeable  fellowship;  be- 
cause it  is  such  as  is  to  be  maintained  with 
them  that  call  on  the  Lord  with  pure  heart." 
(Fairbairn.) 

23.  But  foolish  and  unlearned  {ignor- 
ant) questions  avoid— rather,  the  fuoLish, 
etc.  •  namely,  those  which  the  false  teachers 
debtite.  'Foolish  (jituii-.n)  {ignorant)  ques- 
tionings,' such  as  arise  in  an  ignorant,  undis- 
ciplined, ill-regulated  mind,  and  are  unworthy 
of  serious  attention.  (Vc-,-.  16;  1  Tim.  i:4;  4:i.) 
Knowing  (as  thou  dost)  that  they  do  gen- 
der strifes — or,  Since  thou  knowest.  Such 
questionings,  while  having  no  u.seful  end,  tend 
to  mere  empty  controversy-,  arousuig  the  worst 
passions  and  breeding  bitter  enmities.  Tim- 
othy was,  therefore,  to  refuse  to  consider  them. 

(1  Tim.  6:4;  Titus  3:9.) 

24.  And  ( but)  the  servant  of  the  Lord. 

The  language  is  general,  but  the  context  shows 
that  the  minister  of  Christ  is  chiefly  intended. 
ittust  not  strive.  The  servant  of  the  Lord 
must  be  like  his  Master,  who  did  not  "strive 
nor  cry."  (Ma«.  12:  is,  20.)  The  meaning  is,  he 
must  not  engage  in  useless  strife,  such  as  is 
here  forbidden.  It  is  his  duty  to  "contend 
earnestly  for  the  faith  "  (Ji"ie  s)  ;  but  he  is  not 
to  exercise  the  spirit  of  a  mere  polemic,  or  to 
be  a  lover  and  seeker  of  contention.  But  be 
gentle  unto  all  men— 'gentle,'  as  opposed  to 
harsh,  passionate.  His  spirit  and  manner 
should  evince  tenderness,  kindness,  love;  and 
this  'toward  all  men,'  irrespective  of  parties 
and  preferences.  (1  xhess.  2 : :.)  Apt  to  teach. 
Here,  as  in  1  Tim.  3  :  2,  the  word  includes 
not  only  skill  in  teaching,  but  iilso  a  dispo.si- 
tion  to  teach.  Instead  of  a  harsh,  imperious, 
dogmatic  spirit  in  deiiling  with  those  who 
diffV-r,  the  servant  of  Christ  should  be  disposed 
to  teach  them,  dealing  with  them  through  the 


104 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  II. 


2.5  In  meekness  instructing  those  that  oppose  them- 
selves; if  (.jod  peradventure  will  give  them  repentuuce 
to  the  acknowledging  of  the  l  ruth ; 

.6  And  thai  they  may  recover  themselves  out  of  the 
snare  of  the  devil,  who  are  taken  captive  by  him  at  his 
will. 


25  forbearing,  in  meekness  i  correcting  them  that 
oppose  themselves;  if  peradventure  Ciod  ujay  give 
them  repentance  unto  the  knowledge  of  the  truth, 

26  and  they  way  -  recover  themselves  out  ot'  the  f-nare  of 
the  devil,  having  been  -itakeu  captive  ^by  him  unto 
his  will. 


1  Or,  instructing 2  Gr.  return  loaolieniesa 3  Gr.  taken  alive 4  Or,  by  him,  unto  the  i 

0/  him.    lu  tue  GreeK  the  two  prououiis  are  ditferetii. 


ill  of  God.    Gr.  by  him  unto  the  will 


understanding  by  instruction,  rather  than  ex- 
ercising a  coercive  autliurity.  "  Keady  to 
teach  rather  tiian  to  contend."  (Ellicott.) 
Patient  (under  evil) — or,  patient  of  wrong. 
The  thought  is,  not  only  of  wrong  intention- 
ally inflicted  on  us,  but  also  of  the  stupidity, 
prejudice,  misconstruction,  and  nianitold 
weaknesses  of  men,  which  the  minister  must 
meet,  and  which  often  prove  his  severest  trials. 
Under  all  these  evils,  especially  under  opposi- 
tion, he  is  to  be  patient,  forbearing,  as  was  his 
Master. 

25.  In  meekness  instructing  those  that 
oppose  themselves.  'Meekness'  —  better, 
gentleness.^  in  contrast  with  harshness,  vio- 
lence. The  opposers  referred  to  are  probably 
those  morally  diseased  persons  who  were  full 
of  useless  questionings  and  restive  under  sound 
instruction  in  the  plain,  simple  gospel.  The 
spirit  and  conduct  of  such  might  easily  irri- 
tiite  a  ptistor,  and  tempt  him  to  the  exercise  of 
harsh  authority,  seeking  to  crush  rather  than 
instruct  the  opposer;  and  against  this  the 
apostle  warns  Timothy.  He  must  not,  even 
under  such  provocation,  cease  to  be  "patient 
of  evil."  Many  interpreters,  as  Alford,  Fair- 
bairn,  Beck,  translate  correcting  instead  of 
instructing,  making  the  passage  enjoin  a  disci- 
plinary rather  than  a  teaching  act.  Thus, 
also,  the  Revised  Version.  Without  doubt, 
the  Greek  word  has  sometimes  this  use;  but 
here  the  context  seems  to  me  to  be  clearlj'  de- 
horting  from  the  exercise  of  mere  authority 
in  such  case,  and  urging  rather  to  forbetiring 
and  kindly  instruction.  The  more  usual  sense 
of  the  word,  therefore,  is  here  required.  If 
God  peradventure  will  give  them  repent- 
ance. This  is  the  motive  to  such  forbearing, 
kindly  instruction ;  the  hope  that,  through 
this  means,  God  may  lead  them  to  a  right 
state  of  mind.  Note  here,  as  always,  vital 
religious  error  has  its  roots  in  sin ;  and  in 
order  to  its  removal  there  must  be  repentance, 
a  change  in  the  state  of  the  hetirt.  Note,  also, 
repentance  is  the  gift  of  God,  resulting  from 
the  Holy  Spirit's  work  on  the  soul  (Acts  5;  31); 


and  because  it  is  God's  gift,  we  are  not  to  de- 
spair of  any  person,  however  unlikely  his 
conversion  may  appear  to  human  view.  The 
case  of  Paul  himself  should  show  what  a 
change  may  be  wrought  in  even  the  most  vio- 
lent and  stubborn  opposer,  when  God  gives 
repentance.  But  while  repentance  is  God's 
gift,  he  gives  it  through  appropriate  means; 
we  are,  therefore,  to  be  in  earnest  in  seeking 
to  lead  men  to  it  by  patient  instruction  and 
persistent  eflbrt.  To  the  acknowledging  of 
the  truth.  The  word  translated  'acknowledg- 
ing' (en-iyfwo-i?)  signifies  the  full  apprehensio7i, 
the  realizatioti,  of  the  truth.  Only  through  a 
chiinge  in  the  moral  dispositions  (jaeracoia)  do 
men  attain  to  the  full  knowledge,  the  believ- 
ing apprehension,  of  the  gospel. 

2G.  And  that  they  may  recover  them- 
selves (literally,  may  awake  to  soberness)  out 
of  the  snare  of  the  devil.  Such  opposers 
have  fallen  into  'the  snare  of  the  devil,'  hav- 
ing become  deluded  and  bewildered,  as  in  a 
drunken  sleep,  through  error  and  sin ;  but 
awaking  sober,  thej'  awake  to  righteousness, 
and  escape  out  of  the  snare.  The  snare  in 
which  they  had  been  caught  was  the  error  by 
which  they  became  intoxicated ;  in  awaking 
sober,  therefore,  they  escape  from  the  snare; 
namely,  the  intoxicating  error.  On  the  figure 
of  awaking  from  error  and  sin  as  from  a 
drunken  sleep,  compare  1  Cor.  15  :  34:  "Awake 
to  righteousness,  and  sin  not."  'Snare.'  Com- 
pare Eph.  6  :  11,  "  wiles  of  the  devil  "  ;  1  Tim. 
8:7;  0:9.  Who  are  taken  captive  by  him 
at  his  will — or,  having  been  captured  hy  him 
unto  his  will.  They  had  been  ensnared  by 
Satan,  to  the  end  that  thej'^  might  be  subject  to 
his  will  instead  of  God's  will.  He  captured 
them  that  they  might  become,  as  in  fact 
they  did  become,  obedient  to  him  instead  of 
obedient  to  God.  Thus  wicked  men  are  rep- 
resented as  under  the  ins])iration  and  control 
of  the  Satanic  will.  They  walk  "according 
to  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  the  spirit 
that  now  worketh  in  the  children  of  disobedi- 
ence."    (Kph.  2:2.)    The  Revised  Version,  with 


Ch.  Ill] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


105 


CHAPTER  III. 


THIS  know  also,  that  iu  the  hist  days  perilous  times 
shall  coiue. 
•_'  For  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves,  covet- 
ous,    boasters,     proud,    blasphemers,    disobedient     to 
parents,  unthankful,  unholy, 
3  Without    natural    ait'eciion,   trucebreakers,   false 


1  But  know  this,  that  in  the  last  days  grievous  times 

2  shall  come.     For  men  shall  be  lovers  of  self,  lovers 
of  money,  boastful,  hau>;hly,  railers,  disobediut  to 

3  parents,  uulhaukful,  unholy,  without  natural  alleu- 


soine  commentators,  interpret  '  unto  his  will ' 
of  God's  will,  and  'taken  captive  by  him'  of 
being  taken  captive  by  God"s  servant.  Otliers 
understand  the  words,  as  Fairbairn  para- 
phrases, "that  they  may  return  to  soberness 
(so  escape)  out  of  the  snare  of  the  devil  (by 
whom  they  had  been  taken  captive)  according 
to  the  will  of  him  (God),  who  for  this  end  sec- 
onds the  eftbrts  of  his  servants  by  giving  the 
spirit  of  repentance  and  true  enlightenment." 
The  view  above  given,  liowever,  seems  to  me 
far  simpler  and  more  natural;  and  the  dif- 
ference in  the  two  pronouns  used  in  the  Greek 
is  no  real  argument  against  it,  as  examples 
clearly  show  that,  without  a  change  in  the 
person  indicated,  there  may  be  a  change  in 
the  pronoun  merely  for  the  sake  of  emjjhasis. 
Thus  here  :  "who  have  been  taken  captive  by 
him"  (Satan)  (to  bring  them  into  subjection) 
"unto  his  will"  (instead  of  God's  will). 


Ch:  3  :  1-9.  Grievous  Times  Predicted 
IN  THE  Last  Days. — 1.  The  cause  of  these  is 
explained;  it  is  the  rise  and  dominant  influ- 
ence of  men  who  are  grossly  imnioral  in  char- 
acter and  life,  while  yet  they  have  the  outward 
form  of  godliness,  even  though  they  thus  deny 
the  power  thereof  (2—5.)  2.  The  precursors 
of  these  are  already  present,  and  from  them 
Titnothy  is  warned  to  turn  away.  They  are 
described  as  tliose  who,  by  deceptive  arts,  are 
misleading  weak  and  unstable  women,  draw- 
ing tliem  into  error  and  sin;  and  who,  in  with- 
standing the  truth,  are  like  the  Egyptian  ma- 
gicians that  withstood  Moses;  which  ungodly 
men  they  also  resemble  in  the  utter  defeat  that 
sliall  ere  long  meet  them,  when  their  impious 
folly  will  be  publicly  exposed.     (6-9.) 

1.  This  know  also.  Notwithstanding  the 
hope  just  expressed  in  regard  to  the  recovery 
of  errorists,  many  evil  men  will  arise  in  the 
church,  who  will  never  be  reclaimed.  That 
in  the  last  days.  This  is  the  common  de- 
signation in  the  Old  Testament  of  the  Messi- 
anic Ago,  the  times  after  the  advent  of  Clirist. 
It  is  thus  used  in  the  New  Testament  to  de- 


signate the  New  Dispensation,  this  being  the 
last  period  of  human  history.  (ActsiciT;  i  John 
i:  18.)  Some  refer  it  to  the  closing  days  of  the 
Christian  period,  just  prior  to  the  second  ad- 
vent; but  this  is  forbidden,  at  least  as  the  ex- 
clusive reference,  by  the  fact  that  tlie  wicked 
men  referred  to  are,  in  part,  already  present, 
and  Timothy  is  exhorted  to  "turn  away"  from 
them.  (ver.  5.)  The  whole  representation  points 
to  the  immediate,  as  well  as  the  remote  future, 
asl  Tim.  4:  1.  Probably  such  "perilous  times" 
would  more  tiian  once  recur,  and  the  last,  oc- 
curring before  the  second  advent,  may  prove 
the  worst,  in  the  wide  extent  and  terrible  char- 
acter of  its  error  and  sin.  This  seems  darkly 
intimated  in  Matt.  24  :  24 ;  2  Thess.  2:3;  2 
Peter  3  :  3 ;  Rev.  20  :  7.  Perilous  {grievous) 
times  will  conte — or,  difficult  times  will  set 
in;  that  is,  times  hard  to  live  in.  The  refer- 
ence is  probably  the  same  as  in  1  Tim.  4  :  1-3; 
but  there  the  heretical  side,  the  departure  from 
the  truth,  is  emphasized,  while  here  the  ethi- 
cal side,  the  departure  from  morality,  is  spe- 
cially described. 

2.  For  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their 
own  selves — or  lovers  of  self.  The  Greek 
has  the  article,  the  men,  generic  for  men  in 
general.  Selfishness  will  be  a  general  charac- 
teristic of  the  period.  This  trait  is  placed  first, 
because,  as  the  root  and  essence  of  all  sin,  it  is 
the  source  of  the  other  evil  characteristics 
mentioned.  Covetous — or,  lovers  of  money ; 
filled  with  a  selfish  greed  for  the  accumulation 
of  wealth.  (LuUeietu.)  Boasters,  proud, 
haughty— men  of  proud  spirit,  and  sui>ercili- 
ous  bearing.  Blasphemers — or,  defnmers; 
those  who  openly  vilify,  or  spoak  evil  of 
others.  Disobedient  to  parents — a  fontal 
sin,  the  source  and  sign  of  a  general  disregard 
<if  authority.  Refusal  to  3'ield  obedience  to 
tliis  primal,  natural  authority  tends  to  a  rock- 
less  resistance  of  all  rightful  govornment, 
whether  divine  or  human.  Unthankful — 
destitute  of  gratitude  for  favors  from  God  or 
man.  (Luke6:35.)  Uuholy — defiled  with  sin, 
irreligious. 

3.  Without  natural  atTection.     Bad  men 


106 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  III. 


accusers,  incontinent,  fierce,  despisers  of  those  that  are 
good, 

4  Traitors,  heady,  highminded,  lovers  of  pleasures 
more  than  lovers  of  God  ; 

5  Having  a  form  of  godliness,  but  denying  the  power 
thereof:  from  such  turn  away. 

6  For  of  this  sort  are  they  which  creep  into  houses, 
and  lead  captive  silly  women  laden  with  sins,  led  away  ' 
with  divers  lusts. 


tion,    implacable,    slanderers,  without    self-control, 

4  fierce,  no  lovers  of  good,  traitors,  headstrong,  puffed 
uj),  lovers  of  pleasure  rather  than  lovers  of  Uod; 

5  holding  a  form  of  godliness,  but  having  denied  the 
G  power  thereof:  from  these  also  turn  away.     For  of 

these  are  they  who  creep  into  houses,  and  take  cap- 
tive silly  vi^omen  laden  with  sins,  led  away  by  divers 


sometimes  have  warm  aftection  for  their  own 
kindred  ;  but  these  sink  so  low  tliat  even  this 
common  iiisthict  of  nature  is  destroyed.  They 
become  in  this  inferior  to  the  beasts.  Truce- 
breakers — rather,  implacable ;  such  as  will 
not  be  appeased,  resisting  all  overtures  to 
reconciliation.  False  accusers  —  literally, 
devils ;  such  as  from  malice  accuse,  or  secretly 
slander  others.  Incontinent — without  self- 
control;  men  of  unbridled  passions  or  appe- 
tites, who  do  not  or  cannot  control  their  evil 
propensities.  The  noun  is  used  (iCor.7:5)  "in- 
continency,"  inability  of  self-control;  here 
the  adjective  is  the  opposite  of  temperate  ;  or, 
ratlier,  self -controlled.  (Titus  i:  8.)  Fierce — 
literally,  untamed.,  savage,  brutal.  Despisers 
{haters)  of  those  that  are  good — the  oppo- 
site of  Titus  1 :  8,  "a  lover  of  good  men  "  ;  or 
possibly  more  general,  haters  of  that  which  is 
good. 

4.  Traitors  {betrayers) — those  who  betray 
confidence  or  trust  reposed  in  them;  possibly 
referring  to  tliose  who  betrayed  Christian 
brethren  to  persecutors.  (Matt.  24 :  lO;  Mark  i3 :  12.) 
Heady  {headlong) — reckless,  impetuous  in 
passion,  headlong  in  action.  Highminded — 
or,  -pjiffed  up  with  conceit.  Self-conceit,  like 
smoke,  without  substance,  but  puffed  out  into 
large  volume,  envelops  and  blinds  them,  dis- 
torting and  magnifying  their  view  of  them- 
selves as  compared  with  others.  (1  Tim. 3:6;  6:4.) 
liovers  of  pleasures  more  than  lovers  of 
God — those  who  delight  in  fashion,  frivolity, 
amusement,  revelry,  the  pleasures  of  the 
world,  rather  than  in  religion  and  the  service 

of  God.       (1  Johu  2:15;  Rom.  16  :  18.) 

5.  Having  a  form  of  godliness — the  out- 
ward semblance,  or  that  appearance  of  piety 
which  is  found  in  a  mere  religious  profession 
and  the  forms  of  public  worship.  They  are 
not  open  apostates  from  Chri.'stianity,  but  pro- 
fessed adherents  of  Christ.  But  denying  the 
power  thereof— that  is,  by  their  spirit  and 
conduct.  Thoy  have  the  outward  form.  (Matt. 
7:1.1-20.)  Perhai^s,  like  the  Pharisees,  they  are 
very  zealous  for  the  form  (Matt.  23) ;   but  they 


have  none  of  the  living,  saving,  power  of  re- 
ligion in  the  character  and  life.  Their  works 
belie  their  profession. 

This  passage  must  be  compared  throughout 
witl)  liom.  1 :  29-32,  where  many  of  the  char- 
acteristics here  ascribed  to  the  false  Christian 
are  ascribed  to  the  heathen,  as  indeed  was 
natural ;  for  sin,  having  its  root  in  an  inordi- 
nate self-love,  everywhere  tends  in  its  develop- 
ment to  the  same  false  and  corrupt  features  in 
the  character  and  life.  In  both  passages,  it 
will  be  observed,  these  characteristics  are  as- 
cribed, not  to  each  individual,  but  to  men  in 
the  mass  {the  men),  as  marked  features  in  the 
general  life.  Here  they  are  presented  as 
striking  and  awful  characteristics  of  the 
church  in  those  grievous  times ;.  and,  however 
dark  and  repulsive  tlie  picture  thus  sketched, 
the  sad  reality  has  more  than  once  ai)peared 
in  the  professed  church,  in  periodsof  religious 
declension,  when  the  world  hits  seen  "ti  new 
heathenism  under  the  name  of  Christianity." 
From  such  turn  away.  Persons  of  the 
character  above  described  had  already  ap- 
peared in  the  church  ;  and  Timothy  is  charged 
to  deal  with  them,  not  as  with  those  men- 
tioned in  2  :  25,  "  in  meekness  instructing 
them,"  but  to  'turn  away'  from  them,  as  men 
who  had  reached  a  stage  of  depravation  where 
instruction  is  useless  or  impracticable.     They 

must  be  avoided.       (Prov.9:7,8:  23:9;  Mau.7:6.) 

6,  7.  For  of  this  sort  are  they  which 
creep  into  houses,  and  lead  captive  silly 
women.  Probably  those  referred  to  were 
persons  who,  before  embracing  Christianity, 
had  practiced  magical  arts.  Men  of  this  sort 
abounded  everywhere  in  the  apostolic  age ; 
and  there  were  many  of  them  at  Ephesus. 
(Act»8: 9-24;  13:6;  19:13-19.)  'Creep';  asscrpents, 
or  as  wolves  seeking  their  prey,  in  an  insidi- 
ous, stealthy  manner.  'Silly  women' — a  di- 
minutive in  the  Greek,  meaning  little  women, 
used  contemptuously,  and  probably  well  ren- 
dered, silly,  foolish  women.  "As  Satan  at- 
tacked the  woman,  and  not  the  man,  and 
beguiled  Eve,  and  not  Adam,  so  these,  his  in-' 


Ch.  Ill] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


107 


7  Ever  learning,  and  never  able  to  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  ihe  iruth. 

S  Now  as  Jaiines  and  .Tambres  withstood  Moses,  so 
dotliL-se  also  resist  the  truth:  men  of  corrupt  minds, 
repriibale  concerning  llie  faith. 

•J  But  ihey  shall  proceed  uo  further:  for  their  folly 
shall  be  manifest  unto  all  men,  as  theirs  also  was. 


7  lusts,  ever  learning,  and  never  able  to  come  to  the 

8  knowledge  of  the  iriith.  And  like  as  .lanues  and 
Jauibres  withstood  Moses,  so  do  these  also  withstand 
the  truth;  men  eorrujited  in  mind,  reprobate  con- 

9  eeruiug  tlie  lailh.  lint  they  shall  proceed  no  fur- 
ther:  lor  their  lolly  shall  be  evident  ur  to  all  men, 


strumeiits  and  emissaries,  work  themselves 
into  the  affections  of  the  weai^er  vessel,  and 
into  the  weaker  sort  of  women,  as  the  diminu- 
tive word  here  signifies."  (Gill.)  On  such 
vain,  frivolous,  unstable  women,  these  impos- 
tors sougiit,  by  stealthy  and  artful  means,  to 
exercise  their  power,  leading  them  into  error 
and  sin,  and  holding  them  captive,  as  help- 
lessly bound  under  the  spell  of  their  arts.  Of 
these  women,  three  descriptive  statements  are 
made.  They  are :  1.  Laden  with  sins— as  if 
sins  were  heaped  up  on  them,  so  that  they  are 
burdened  under  them.  Alford,  however,  sug- 
gests a  different  view:  "Their  consciences 
oppressed  with  sins,  and  in  this  morbid  state 
they  lie  open  to  the  insidious  attacks  of  these 
proseb'ters,  who  promise  them  ease  of  con- 
science if  tliey  will  follow  them."  2.  Led 
away  with  divers  lusts — these  lusts,  or  evil 
desires  being  the  governing  forces  in  their 
lives,  controlling  their  conduct.  Not  alone 
sensual  lust,  but  "the  itch  and  desire  after 
new  teachers  and  new  doctrines  and  prac- 
tices"; the  constant  seeking  for  the  sensa- 
tional, or  that  which  is  last  in  fashion  in 
preachers  and  churches.  Self-gratification, 
rather  than  Christian  principle,  ruled  their 
life.  3.  Ever  learning,  and  never  able  to 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  They 
were  always  learning,  turning  from  one  new 
doctrine  to  another,  in  the  restless  quest  for 
novelty  ;  but,  thus  unstable,  and  governed  by 
their  fickle  lusts,  they  were  i^i^'or  nhle  to 
attain  the  real  apprehension  of  the  truth.  "  It 
is  a  remark  as  demonstrable  as  it  is  humiliat- 
ing, that  as  the  truth,  so  also  error  and  sin 
have  found  ever  a  powerful  support  in  the 
weaker  sex.  Compare  1  Tim.  2:14.  There 
lies  in  the  womanly  character  the  foundation, 
as  for  the  highest  development  of  the  power 
of  faith,  so  also  for  the  highest  revelation  of 
the  power  of  sin."  (Van  Oosterzee.)  Com- 
pare Rev.  ch.  17. 

8.  Now  (hut),  such  characters  as  these  de- 
ceivers are  to  be  expected,  since  they  appeared 
even  in  the  ancient  period.  As  Jannes  and 
Jambrcs  withstood  Moses.    These  names 


are  found  in  the  Targum  of  Jonathan  (exoj.  7: 
11,  •■;••!),  as  those  of  the  Egyptian  magicians  who 
attempted  miracles  before  Pharoah  to  offset 
the  miracles  of  Moses.  The  llabbinical  writ- 
ings have  many  legends  respecting  them;  but 
the  fact  here  referred  to  is  attested  by  the 
Biblical  record  in  Exod.  7,  and  there  is  no  rea- 
son to  doubt  the  tradition  respecting  tlie  names 
of  these  sorcerers.  So  do  these  also  resist 
the  truth.  They  directly  opposed  the  true 
gospel  by  setting  up  their  magical  arts  in 
rivalry  with  the  charisnis,  or  gifts  of  the 
Spirit,  as  the  old  Egyptian  sorcerers  had  done 
in  the  contest  with  Moses.  Compare  the  cases 
of  Simon  and  Elymas  (aou8:9j  is:  6);  also  the 
predictions  of  the  coming  of  false  teachers, 
who  shall  perform  lying  wonders  in  the  last 

days.        (Matt.  24:M;  2Thes3.  2;9;  Eev.  13:14,  15.)        Men 

of  corrupt  minds.  'Mind,'  "the  human 
spirit  viewed  both  in  its  intellectual  and  moral 

aspects."       (DelitZSCh.)       (ITim.   6:5;    EpU.  4;n-19.) 

The  mind,  the  very  faculty  through  which 
God  communicates  with  man,  is  corrupted. 
The  light  within  has  become  darkness.  (Man. 
6:23.)  Reprobate  concerning  the  faith — 
tested  and  jjroved  worthless  as  to  the  faith  in 
the  truths  of  the  gospel.  (Titus  i :  le.)  '  Repro- 
bate;' compare  Jer.  6:30;  Rom.  1  :  28;  1 
Cor.  9  :  27 ;  2  Cor.  13  :  5.  They  had  received 
the  gospel,  but  had  proved  themselves  un- 
worthy of  it.  "  A  corrupt  head,  a  corrupt 
heart,  and  a  vicious  life  usually  attend  and 
accompany  one  another." 

9.  But  they  shall  proceed  no  further. 
In  themselves  they  will  grow  worse,  accord- 
ing to  verse  13 ;  2  :  10,  as  all  error  tends  to  in- 
creased corruption  in  him  who  holds  it;  but 
in  their  influence  over  others,  they  will  not 
advance;  for  this  will  be  checked  by  the  e.x- 
posure  of  their  folly.  Error  is  in  its  own 
nature  weakness  ;  it  "  is  a  palace  of  ice  which 
at  last  must  melt  and  tumble  down  necessarily, 
when  but  one  ray  of  the  sunlight  of  truth 
penetrates  it."  For  their  folly  shall  be 
manifest  to  all  men  as  theirs  (.Tatines  and 
•Jambres)  also  was.  '  F'<Uy'  —  smsr/ess 
wickedness;  the  ethical  as  well  as  the  intellect* 


108 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  III. 


10  But  tliou  hast  fully  known  my  Joctrine,  manner  I  10  as  theirs  also   came   to  be.     But  thou   didst  follow 
of  lile,  purpose,  faith,  lougsutferiug,  charily,  patience,  |        my  teaching,  conduct,  purpose,  faith,  longsufieriug, 


ual  aspects  of  their  conduct  are  here  charac- 
terized. The  true  character  of  these  men  and 
of  their  acts  and  doctrines  would  soon  be  fully 
exposed;  just  as,  in  the  progress  of  the  con- 
flict, the  folly  and  impotence  of  the  Egyptian 
magicians  was ;  when  even  tiiey  themselves 
were  compelled  to  confess  the  utter  failure  of 
their  magical  arts,  and,  yielding  the  contest, 
they  said  of  Moses'  miracle,  "This  is  the 
finger  of  God";  and  wlien,  in  attempting  to 
produce  the  "boils"  on  others,  "the  magi- 
cians could  not  stand  before  Moses,  because  of 
the  boil,  for  the  boil  was  upon  thenuigicians." 
(Exod.8:i8, 19;  9:11.)  It  is  evident  that  tiic  men 
here  referred  to,  after  entering  the  church, 
had  relapsed  into  the  practice  of  their  magical 
arts.  (Acts  19: 18, 19.)  Like  Simon,  they  had 
never  really  received  the  truth,  but  were 
"still  in  the  gtill  of  bitterness  and  in  the  bond 
of  iniquity '' ;  and  now,  taking  advantage  of 
the  superstition,  which  yet  to  some  extent  held 
its  grasp  on  members  of  the  church  who  but 
lately  came  out  from  heathenism,  they  used 
their  corrupt  and  deceptive  arts  to  pervert  the 
principles  and  faith  of  the  wetik,  in  order  to 
secure  the  gratification  of  their  own  sensual 
lusts  and  the  accumulation  of  wealth.  They 
craftilj-  sought  access  to  the  more  frivolous 
and  unstable  among  the  female  members,  to 
lead  them  astray,  who  doubtless  all  the  more 
readily  yielded  to  their  arts  in  that,  before 
entering  the  church,  they  had  been  believers 
in  magic,  and  had  lived  under  its  manifold 
forms  of  deception. 

10-17.  Exhortation  to  Steadfastness 
IN  these  Perils. — To  this  he  is  incited  : 
1.  By  the  remembrance  of  his  faith,  as  shown, 
at  his  conversion  and  entrance  on  the  minis- 
try, when,  inspired  by  the  teachings  and  life 
and  heroic  sufferings  of  Paul,  with  the  Lord's 
deliverance  out  of  them,  he  became  an  ardent 
follower  of  the  apostle.  (10,11.)  2.  By  the 
fact  that  persecution  is  not  a  strange  thing, 
but  must  be  expected  by  all  those  who  resolve 
on  a  life  of  Christian  piety;  while,  also,  evil 
men  and  seducers  will  wax  worse  and  worse. 
(12,  13.)  3.  By  the  confidence  he  reposes  in 
those  from  whom  he  received  the  gospel,  and 
by  his  early  training  in  the  Scriptures,  which 
are  able  to  make  wise  unto  salvation.  (14,  15.) 


4.  By  the  sure  guidance  and  help  he  has  in 
Holy  Scripture,  («)  as  divinely  inspired,  (b)  as 
useful  to  give  complete  fitness  for  all  duties 
and  dangers,  and  for  every  good  work. 
(16,  17.) 

10.  But  thou— in  contrast  with  these  de- 
ceivers. Hast  fully  known— or,  did .^t  follow 
as  a  disciple  with  full  sympathy  and  approval. 
Not,  "hast  full^'  known,"  as  in  the  Common 
Version,  but  according  to  the  Sinaitic,  Alex- 
andrian, and  Ephraem  Codices,  with  cursive 
MS.  17,  didst  follow.  The  reference  is  to 
Timothy's  conversion,  of  which  the  teaching 
and  life  and  sufferings  of  the  apcstle  seem  to 
have  been  the  means-  and  in  connection  with 
which,  inspired  by  the  lofty  qualities  in  Paul, 
he  became  his  enthusiastic  and  devoted  fol- 
lower. He  had  not  only  fully  known  Paul's 
teachings  and  spirit  and  life,  but,  with  hearty 
approval  and  sympathy,  had  followed  him  as 
in  these  respects  his  modek  My  doctrine — 
or,  teaching — the  doctrines  or  princijiles  Paul 
had  taught,  including  also  probably  his  spirit 
and  methods  in  teaching.  These  had  been  to 
Timothy  the  models  of  doctrine  after  which 
he  had  patterned  his  instruction — "guiding 
stars,  as  it  were,  which  he  followed."  Man- 
ner of  life — course  of  conduct,  or  principles 
of  life.  Timothy  had  modeled  his  life  after 
PauTs,  heartily  adojiting  the  same  self-abne- 
gation and  consecration  to  Christ  and  his 
gospel.  Purpose — referring  to  the  steadfast 
purpose  in  Paul  to  devote  himself  without 
reserve  to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  to  which 

Christ  had  called  him.       (Acts20:24;  21:13,I4;  ICor. 

2:2;  2Tim.4: :.)  Faith — here,  if  anywhere  in 
these  epistles,  in  the  sense  of  fideliiy,  fa  it  J  ful- 
ness;  but  it  is  more  probably  to  be  taken  in 
the  usual  sense  of  belief  or  trust  in  God's 
word,  as  an  actuating  principle  in  the  life. 
LongsufTering — toward  opposers  and  erring 

brethren.        (Cal.  5:22;  Kph.4:2;  Col.  3  :  12  ;  2  11111.4:2.) 

Charity — or,  love;  here,  perhaps,  love  toward 
men,  charity,  (icor.  i3.)  Patience— patient 
bearing  of  evil,  without  swerving  from  the 
temper  and  faith  of  the  gospel.  (Rom.  2: 7.) 
These  things  in  Paul  had,  in  Timothy's  earlier 
life  at  Lystra,  inspired  his  youthful  love  and 
devotion,  and  led  him  to  consecrate  himself  to 
a  like  service  of  Christ.     I'he  apostle,  there- 


Ch.  III.] 


11.  TIMOTHY. 


109 


11  Persecutions,  aflBictions,  which  came  unto  me  at 
Antioch,  at  Iconium,  at  J^ystra;  what  persecutions  I 
eudured  :  but  out  oi  l/ieiii  all  tbt;  Lord  delivtred  uie. 

12  Yea,  and  all  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus 
shall  sutler  perseirution. 

13  But  evil  men  and  seducers  shall  wax  worse  and 
worse,  deceiving,  and  being  deceived. 


11  love,-i  patience,  persecutions,  sufferings ;  what  things 
befell  me  at  Antioch,  at  Iconium,  at  Lyslva;  what 
I>ersecutiuus   I   endured:   and   out   of  tlieni  all  the 

12  Lord   delivered  me.     Yea,  and   all   that  wmild  live 

13  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  shall  sutler  persecution,  liut, 
evil  meu  and  impostors  shall  wa.\  worse  aud  worse 


1  Or,  ated/attneas. 


fore,  reminds  him  of  this  to  strengthen  his 
faith  and  preserve  liim  steadfast  in  coining 
trial,  in  the  hope  that,  as  at  his  conversion,  so 
now,  Timothy  would  faithfully  follow  him, 
as  he  followed  Christ.  In  like  manner,  Paul 
elsewhere  refers  to  his  own  spirit  and  life  and 
work  as  an  example,  both  as  a  model  of  min- 
isterial life  and  as  an  incentive  to  personal 

holiness.      (Act9  20:18-35;  ITtess.  Z:  1-12.)     ThuS,   also, 

he  reminds  the  Hebrew  Cliristians  of  their 
earlier  devotion  to  Christ  and  readiness  to 
buffer  for  his  sake,  as  an  incentive  to  fidelity 
in  present  and  impending  trials.  (Heb.  io:32-35-) 
11.  Persecutions,  afflictions,  which 
came  unto  me.  He  now  cites  especially 
the  persecutions  and  sufferings  which  met 
him  at  the  time  of  Timothy's  conversion, 
and  in  full  view  of  which,  with  the  Lord's 
deliverance  of  him  out  of  them,  Timothy  hud 
consecrated  himself  to  the  ministry.  At  An- 
tiocli— in  Pisidia,  whence  Paul  was  driven  by 
persecution.  (Acts  13 :  50.)  At  Iconium,  at 
Lystra— cities  of  Lycaonia,  where  he  met 
with  the  most  bloody  violence.  (Acts u:  5-19.) 
Elsewhere  he  gives  an  extended  catalogue  of 
his  persecutions  and  sufferings,  many  of  which 
Timothy  had  doubtless  witnessed  (2  Cor.  11 :  23.28) ; 
but  here  he  cites  only  those  which  had  been 
connected  with  Timothy's  conversion  and  self- 
devotement  to  the  ministry  as  an  assistant  to 
the  apostle.  The  fearful  scene  in  Lj'stra, 
when  Paul  was  stoned  and  left  for  dead,  the 
young  disciple  had  probably  himself  witnessed; 
while  the  story  of  Paul's  heroic  faith  and  fear- 
less confession  of  Christ  in  the  other  cities  was 
doubtless  widely  known  in  all  that  region,  and 
inspired  the  heart  of  the  youth  to  endure,  Avith 
like  faith  and  courage,  similar  sufferings,  if 
need  be,  in  the  service  of  the  Lord.  What 
persecutions  I  endured:  but  out  of  them 
all  the  Lord  delivered  me.  As  an  encour- 
agement to  Timothy,  to  strengthen  him  for 
the  coming  perils,  he  not  only  recalls  these 
early  persecutions,  in  full  view  of  which  he 
had  given  himself  to  the  work,  but  also  the 
mai-ked  divine  deliverance  from  them.     The 


preservation  of  Christ's  faithful  servant  had 
been  even  more  conspicuous  than  his  sufft-r- 
ings.  Compare  4:17,18.  "As  if  he  had 
said :  Thou  hast  known  by  experience  that 
God  has  never  forsaken  me,  so  that  thou  hast 
no  right  to  hesitate  to  follow  my  example." 
(Calvin.) 

12.  Yea,  and  all  that  will  live  godly  in 
(fellowship  with)  Christ  Je.sus,  shall  sufTer 
persecution.  'That  will' — have  the  earnest, 
steadfast  purpose  ;  are  resolved  to  live  godly. 
'In  Christ  Jesus' — the  inspiring  source  and 
the  sphere  of  a  truly  pious  life.  Compare  Gal. 
2  :  20;  Phil.  1  :  21.  No  man  lives  a  life  of 
true  godliness,  except  in  virtue  of  a  living 
union  by  faith  with  Jesus  Christ.  (John  is :  4, 5.) 
He  intimates  that  Timothy,  instead  of  being 
surprised  and  cast  down  by  persecution,  should 
expect  it  as  the  natural  and  common  lot  of 
those  who  resolve  on  a  life  identified  with 
Christ.  The  enmity  between  the  seed  of  the 
serpent  and  the  seed  of  the  woman  develops 
itself  in  every  age  and  under  manifold  forms. 
(Gen.  3 :  15.)  He  that  is  bom  of  the  flesh  perse- 
cutes him  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit,  (cm.*  :29.) 
The  words  of  Christ  to  his  disciples  remain 
forever  true :  "The  servant  is  not  greater  than 
his  lord  ;  if  thej^  have  persecuted  me  they  will 

also    persecute    you."        (John  15:I!»,  20;   U-.SA;   Mntt. 

10:16-25.)  It  is  the  dutj'  of  the  Christian  so  to 
teach  and  so  to  live  as  to  commend  himself  to 
every  man's  conscience  in  the  sight  of  God 
(2  Cor. 4:2),  and  thus  compel  the  inward  respect 
of  even  wicked  men  for  his  sincerity  and  con- 
sistency; but  a  decided,  earnest  Christian 
spirit  and  life  will  always  evoke  .some  form 
of  opposition  from  the  ungodly  world.  The 
radical  antagonism  of  the  world  to  Christ  is 
as  real  and  deep  now  as  when  men  cried  : 
"Crucify  him!  crucify  him!"  although  it 
may  not  always  and  everywhere  find  the 
same  form  of  expression. 

13.  But— in  contrast  to  tho.se  who  'live 
godly  in  Christ  Jesus.'  Evil  men  and  se- 
ducers— literallj',  sorrerer/t,  or,  mrrfjlriri)ix. 
(ver.8.)     Shall  wax  worse  and  worse— ad- 


110 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  III. 


14  But  continue  thou  in  the  things  which  thou  hast     14  deceiving  and  being  deceived.     But  abide  thou  in 


learned  and  liast  been  assured  of,  knowing  of  whom 
tliou  nast  learned  theiu  ; 

15  And  that  from  u  child  thou  hast  known  the  holy 
Scriptures,  which  are  abls  to  make  thee  wise  unto  sal- 
vation through  fiiith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus. 

li)  All  Scripture  />■  given  l)y  inspiration  of  God,  and  /.'! 
prolitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for 
instruction  in  righteousness: 


the  things  which  thou  liast  learned  and  hast  been 
assured  of,  knowing  of  i  whom   thou   hast  learned 

15  thera;  and  that  from  a  babe  thou  hast  known  the 
sacred  writings  which  are  alile  to  mal<e  thee  wise 
unto    salvation   through   faith   which    is   in   Christ 

16  Jesus.  2  Every  scripture  inspired  of  Uod  is  also 
profitable  for  teaching,  for  reproof,  for  correction, 


1  Gr.  what  persons 2  Or,  Every  scripture  i^  inspired  of  God,  and  profitable. 


vance  in  the  direction  of  the  v)orse.  See  ver. 
1,  9,  above.  "  There  the  diffusion  of  the  evil 
was  spoken  of ;  hare  its  intensity.'"  (Alford.) 
Though  the  spread  of  the  evil  may  be  re- 
pressed by  the  early  exposure  of  these  men, 
yet  the  men  themselves  will  go  from  bad  to 
worse,  according  to  the  natural  tendency  of 
error  and  sin.  Deceiving  and  being  de- 
ceived. Sin  is  here  its  own  punishment; 
for  "living  in  an  element  of  deceit,  they 
come  to  be  themselves  deceived."  "Decep- 
tion always  involves  self-deception."  (De 
Wette. )  This  is  an  inexorable  law  of  our 
moral  being:  he  who  perverts  the  truth,  in 
the  very  act  destroys  his  own  power  to  see  the 
truth,  and  opens  his  soul  to  the  influx  of  error. 

14.  But  continue  thou — in  contrast  with 
these  deceivers.  In  the  things  Avhich  thou 
hast  learned  and  liast  been  assured  of. 
Though  deceivers  will  deceive  themselves  and 
others,  let  them  not  deceive  thee ;  but  do  thou 
adhere  firmly  to  the  truths  thou  hast  been 
taught  and  the  convictions  thou  hast  formed. 
Let  nothing  turn  thee  from  the  gospel  thou 
hiist  believed.  See  John  8:31,  32;  Eph.  4: 
14;  Hob.  3  :  14 ;  5  :  12;  10  :  38,  39.  Knowing 
(as  tliou  dost)  of  Avhom  thou  hast  learned 
them.  According  to  the  Sinaitic,  Alexan- 
drian, and  some  other  codices,  the  pronoun 
'whom'  is  here  plural,  and  the  reference, 
therefore,  is  to  his  mother,  Eunice,  and  his 
grandmother,  Lois  (i  =  s),  but  probably  not 
excluding  the  apostle  himself.  Some  editors, 
however,  with  Ellicott,  retain  the  singular 
pronoun  'whom,'  making  the  exclusive  refer- 
ence to  Paul.  In  either  case  the  thought  is  of 
the  reliable  source  of  his  knowledge;  he  had 
received  it  from  those  entitled  to  his  highest 
confidence. 

15.  And  th<it  from  a  child  thou  hast 
known  the  holy  Scriptures — the  Scriptures 
of  the  Old  Testament,  which  these  pious  per- 
sons had  from  earliest  childhood  taught  him. 
'From  a  child' — or,  from  infancy,  the  word 
PptV>os  signifying  very  early  age.     The  Jewish 


children  were  taught  the  Scriptures  by  mem- 
orizing them  as  soon  as  they  could  speak. 
Rabbi  Judah  says:  "  The  boy  of  five  years  of 
age  ought  to  apply  to  the  study  of  the  Sacred 
Scriptures."  "  The  piety  of  Timothy  is  traced 
by  the  apostle  to  the  fact  that  he  had  been 
early  taught  to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  a  great 
proportion  of  those  who  are  in  tlie  church 
have  been  early  made  acquainted  with  the 
Bible."  (Barnes.)  Which  are  able  to  make 
thee  wise  unto  salvation.  'Which  are 
able.'  They  are  now  and  always  able;  "the 
present  is  used  to  denote  the  permanent,  en- 
during property  of  tlie  Holy  Scriptures." 
(Ellicott.)  Not,  however,  that  salvation  re- 
sides, as  a  magical  power,  in  the  mere  words 
of  Scripture,  or  even  in  its  truths;  but  rather 
that  the  truths  of  Scripture  present  to  tlie 
mind  the  true  objects  of  faith,  and  are  the 
medium  through  which  the  Holy  Spirit  exerts 
his  renewing,  saving  power,  (i  Peter  i:  23;  joim 
17 :  17.)  Through  faith  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus — that  is,  the  faith  which  rests  on  Christ. 
It  is  through  this  faith  that  the  truths  of  Script- 
ure lead  to  salvation.  "Not  every  one  can 
be  made  wise  unto  salvation  by  the  writings 
of  the  Old  Covenant,  but  only  every  one  who 
believes  in  Christ.  Faith  in  Christ  is,  as  it 
were,  a  torch,  by  the  light  of  which  we  can 
first  read  aright  and  understand  the  dim  col- 
onnades and  mysterious  inscriptions  in  the 
ancient  venerable  temple  of  the  Old  Cove- 
nant."    (Van  Oosterzee. ) 

16.  All  Scripture  is  given  by  inspira- 
tion of  God,  and  is  profitable.  Two  forms 
of  transhttion  here  have  divided  eminent  in- 
terpreters since  the  time  of  Origen,  both  of 
whicli  are  grammaticallj'  and  logically  possi- 
ble; either.  Every  Scripture  (Scripture  in 
every  part)  i.s  inspired  by  God  and  profitable, 
or.  Every  Scripture,  being  inspired  by  God,  is 
n(.so  profitable.  In  both  the  divine  inspirtition 
of  the  Scriptures  is  clearly  afiirmed.  Fori. 
Scripture  (ypa<f>ri),  which  is  used,  in  the  singu- 
lar or  plural,   more  than   fifty  times  in   the 


Ch.  III.] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


Ill 


New  Testament,  designates,  in  each  instance 
of  its  use,  tlie  Old  Testament,  as  received  and 
used  among  the  Jews  in  the  age  of  Christ  and 
the  apostles.  It  was,  therefore,  a  technical 
word,  equivalent  in  usage  to  a  proper  name, 
and  as  such  it  might,  as  here,  dispense  witli 
the  article.  2.  Every  Scripture  (n-ao-a  ypa<f>ri) 
thus  necessarily  denotes  holy  Scrijiture  in 
every  part — that  is,  in  all  its  separate  books 
and  passages.  The  phrase  is  equivalent  to  all 
Scripture,  including  all  then  known  as  holy 
Scripture.  For  a  similar  use  of  all  or  every 
(.rd<ra),  see  Eph.  2  :  21;  3  :  21 ;  Col.  1  :  15,  23; 
1  Peter  1  :  1-5,  24.  If,  then,  the  second  form  of 
translation  proposed  above  be  taken,  the  asser- 
tion is  not,  "Every  writing,  if  inspired  of 
God,  is  also  profitable,"  as  if  a  part  of  the 
writings  referred  to  were  not  inspired,  but, 
Enery  Scripture  (that  is,  Holy  Scripture  in 
every  part),  since  it  is  inspired  by  God,  is  also 
profitable.  It  is  profitable  because  it  is  in- 
spired by  God.  "  It  certainly  seems  distinctly 
to  imply  this  vital  truth,  that  every  separate 
portion  of  the  Holy  Book  is  inspired,  and 
forms  a  living  portion  of  a  living  and  organic 
whole."  (Ellicott. )  Thus  Origen  and  some 
of  the  Fathers,  as  also  many  modern  interpre- 
ters, as  Alford,  Huther.  and  Wordsworth. 
The  first  form  of  translation,  however,  seems 
to  me  the  more  natural  construction  of  the 
language.  For  1.  The  apostle's  evident  de- 
sign is  to  set  before  Tiinoth3^  the  great  worth 
of  the  truths  he  had  been  taught  from  Holy 
Scripture;  and  nothing  could  be  more  ger- 
mane to  this  purpose  than  to  remind  him  («) 
that  Scripture  is  in  every  part  divinely  in- 
spired, and  {h)  that  it  is  profitable  for  the 
complete  equipment  of  the  man  of  God.  2. 
The  translation  of  the  conjunction  (icai,  and) 
as  also,  though  in  some  relations  proper  and 
necessary,  is  here  extremely  harsh;  it  stands 
far  more  naturally  as  the  connective  of  the 
two  predicates— /«.97)irefi?  of  God  and  profit-  \ 
able.  "  Clearly,  the  adjectives  are  so  closely 
connected  that  as  surely  as  one  is  a  predicate 
the  other  must  be  also."  (Fausset.)  "First, 
he  commends  the  Scripture  on  account  of  its 
authority,  and  secondly,  on  account  of  the 
utility  which  springs  from  it."  (Calvin.)  Thus 
Chrysostom,  Gregory  Nyssa,  Beza,  De  Wette, 
"Wiesingor,  Conybeare,  and  Fairbairn.  'Is 
given  by  inspiration  of  God' — in  the  Greek, 
expressed  by  a  single  word  (fledirceuaToi)  ;  liter- 


ally, Ood-inspired.  In  the  New  Testament 
the  relation  of  God  to  Holy  Scripture  is  ex- 
pressed in  three  ditierent  forms.  1.  The  lan- 
guage is  attributed  directly  to  God:  as,  "God 
saith"  (Acts  a:  17);  "the  Holy  Ghost  saith." 
(Heb.9:8.)  2.  Tile  Uuiguage  is  attributed  to 
God,  but  as  spoken  through  a  human  agent; 
as,  the  Lord  "spake  by  the  mouth  of  his  holy 
prophets''  (Luke  1:70);  "God  .  .  .  spake  unto 
the  fathers  by  the  prophets."  (Heb.  i:i.)  3.  The 
language  is  ascribed  to  men  speaking  as  in- 
spired by  God;  as,  "David  himself  said  by 
the  Holy  Ghost.'"  (Mark  12 : as.)  "No  prophecy 
ever  came  by  the  will  of  man;  but  men  spoke 
from  God,  being  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit." 
See  2  Peter  1  :  21,  Revised  Version ;  1  Peter 
1  :  10-12.  These  are  the  usual  forms  by  which 
in  the  New  Testament  the  relation  of  God  to 
Scripture  is  expressed ;  and  in  all  of  them 
God  is  represented  as  the  true  author  of  Holy 
Scripture,  while  the  human  writers  are  the 
medium  through  which  God  makes  communi- 
cation to  mankind.  It  is  plain,  also,  that  God, 
in  speaking  through  a  human  medium,  speaks 
through  the  entire  faculties,  the  whole  perso- 
nality of  the  man;  so  that  the  communication, 
in  its  forms  of  thought  and  diction,  bears  the 
perfect  impress  of  the  man,  with  all  his  idio- 
syncrasies, while  yet  it  is,  in  all  respects,  that 
which  God  intended  to  be  made,  and  is  God- 
i7ispired.  For  doctrine  {instruction)  —  not 
for  making  one  an  instructor,  but  for  instruct- 
ing him  who  reads;  the  word  has  special  ref- 
erence to  Scripture  as  imparting  theoretical  or 
doctrinal  knowledge  in  divine  things.  For 
reproof  (conviction) — for  the  detection  and 
reproof  of  all  that  is  false  or  wrong  as  to  truth 
or  duty,  whether  in  ourselves  or  in  others. 
(1  Tim.  5:20.)  For  Correction  —  literally,  /or 
making  rectification;  for  reformation.  In 
'reproof  (conviction),  the  Scriptures  are  per- 
haps conceived  chiefly  as  the  rule  of  faith, 
convicting  of  error  and  guiding  to  truth,  as 
Gal.  3  :  6,  13,  16;  but  in  correction,  chiefly  as 
the  rule  of  life,  rectifying  wrong  and  restoring 
to  right  living,  as  1  Cor.  10  :  1-10.  For  in- 
struction (training)  in  righteousness. 
Scripture  trains,  or  educates,  by  guiding 
and  inspiring  the  soul  in  holiness  and  right 
living.  (Tiiu»2:2.)  It  is  the  manual  of  S)iir- 
itual  education,  training  the  man  in  right 
moral  and  spiritual  thinking  and  feeling  and 
action.     Compare  Ps.  19  :  8-14;  119. 


112 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Cn.  IV. 


17  That  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  i  17  for  >  instruction  which  is  in  righteousness:  that  the 
furnished  unto  all  good  works.  man  of  God  may  be  couijilete,  furnished  completely 

I        unto  every  good  work. 

CHAPTEK  IV. 


I  CHARGE  thee  therefore  before  God,  and  the  Lord 
Jesus   Christ,  who   shall  judge  the  quick  aud  the 
dead  at  his  appearing  aud  his  kingdom  ; 


1  2  1  charge  thee  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  of  Christ 
Jesus,  who  sliall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  and 

2  by    his    appearing    and   his   kingdom ;    preach   the 


1  Oi-,  discipline 2  Or,  I  testify,  in  the  sight 


dead,  both  of  his  appearing,  etc. 


17.  That  the  man  of  God  may  be  per- 
fect—  "ready  at  every  point"  (Alford)  ; 
"complete  in  all  parts  and  proportions."  (EUi- 
cott. )  This  is  the  end,  or  purpose,  of  Script- 
ure in  its  several  uses  as  above  described ;  it 
would  make  the  man  complete  in  character 
and  life,  and  in  fitness  for  his  Christian  calling 
and  work.  Thoroughly  furnished  unto 
all  good  works — for  all  that  belongs  to  a 
Christian  man  to  do.  The  Scriptures  are  a 
full  and  sufficient  guide  in  all  doctrines  and 
duties,  completely  equipping  the  man  who 
rightly  uses  them  for  every  good  work. 

Note. — The  Old  Testament,  as  interpreted 
in  the  light  of  the  New,  is  "profitable"  for 
attaining  salvation  and  perfecting  Christian 
character.  Christ,  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  gives  assurance  that  he  came,  not  to 
destroy,  but  to  fulfill  the  law,  and  shows  that 
the  New  Testament  is  related  to  tlie  Old,  not 
as  setting  it  aside,  but  as  completing  it.  The 
New  is  only  the  unfolding  and  completing  of 
the  Old,  as  the  finished  revelation  of  salvation. 
Among  the  apostles,  Paul  makes  specially 
large  use  of  the  Old  Testament,  using  it  in  all 
the  relations  here  indicated,  for  doctrine,  re- 
proof, correction,  and  training  in  righteous- 
ness; and  so  far  from  regarding  it  as  belong- 
ing only  to  the  past,  he  everj'where  deals  with 
it  as  the  living  and  mighty  word  of  God,  po- 
tential for  all  time  as  a  divinely  inspired  guide, 
when  interpreted  by  the  New,  to  salvation 
and  eternal  life. 


Ch.  4: 1-8.  Solemn  Charge  to  Fidel- 
ity AXD  Earnestness  in  the  Ministry. 
— 1.  He  charges  Timothy,  as  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God  and  of  Christ,  the  Judge  of  all, 
and  by  bis  appearing  and  his  kingdom,  to 
preach  the  word  with  all  earnestness  and  fidel- 
ity. (1,2.)  2.  As  incentives  to  this,  he  men- 
tions two  things  that  were  approaching,  (n) 
A  time  as  coming,  when  some  in  the  church 


will  not  endure  sound  instruction,  but  will 
multiply  teachers  chosen  with  a  view  to  gratify 
their  lusts,  and  will  thus  turn  their  ears  from 
the  truth,  and  turn  aside  to  fables.  Timothy, 
on  the  contrary,  must  be  watchful,  faithfully 
and  fully  accomplishing  his  ministry.  (3-5.) 
(6)  His  own  approaching  removal  from  the 
work  by  martyrdom,  with  an  exulting  view  of 
his  life-conflict  as  now  triumphantly  ended, 
and  of  the  glorious  prospect  immediately  be- 
fore him,  while,  as  a  victor,  he  awaits  the 
crown  of"  righteousness,  which  the  Righteous 
Judge  shall  bestow  on  him ;  which  crown, 
however,  Christ  will  bestow,  not  on  him  only, 
but  also  on  all  who  love  his  appearing.  (6-8.) 
1.  I  charge  thee,  therefore,  before  God, 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  apostle 
summons  him,  as  it  were,  into  the  presence  of 
God  and  of  the  glorified  Son  of  man,  placing 
him  before  this  august  presence  to  receive  his 
charge,  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  Who 
shall  judge  the  quick  (/«;»i(7)and  the  dead. 
Christ  is  the  final  Judge,  before  whom  all  must 
stand  and  render  account  (Matt. 25:31-44;  Actsio: 
42;  17:31),  especially  the  ministers,  to  whom  he 
has  entrusted  the  gospel  and  the  care  of  the 

churches.       (  Rom.  U  :  9-12  ;    1  Cor.  3:11-15;    2  Cor.  5  :  9,    10.) 

'The  quick  (living)  and  the  dead' — those 
who  are  alive  at  Christ's  coming  and  those  who, 
having  died,  shall  then  be  raised  ;  none  will 
escape  his  judgment,  (i  Cor.  is:  1,52;  1  Thess.4: 
16, 17.)  "  The  emphasis  laid  on  this  universality 
of  the  judgment  is  to  admonish  Timoth3-  of 
his  inevitable  resy>onsibility."  (Wiesinger. ) 
At  his  appearing  and  his  kingdom — not, 
'at  his  appearing,'  etc.,  but  according  to  the 
oldest  manuscripts  and  the  general  consent  of 
interpreters,  ond  by  his  appearing,  etc.,  the 
words  being  construed  after  'charge,'  as  that 
by  virtue  of  which,  or  in  view  of  which,  the 
charge  is  given.  He  first  places  Timothy  in 
the  presence  of  God  and  of  his  final  Judge, 
and  then  adjures  him  by  all  that  is  solemn 
and  glorious  in  the  revelation  of  Christ  at  his 


Ch.  IV.] 


II.  TIMOTHY 


113 


2  Preach  the  word ;  be  instant  in  season,  out  of 
season  ;  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort  with  all  longsufferiiij; 
and  doctriiic. 

3  For  the  time  will  couie  when  they  will  not  endure 
sound  doctrine;  but  after  their  own  lusts  shall  ihey 
heap  to  tlieuiselves  teachers,  having  itching  ears: 


word  ;  be  instant  in  season,  out  of  season ;  '  reprove, 
rebuke,  exhort,  with  all  loiigsuU'ering  and  teaching. 
3  For  the  time  will  come  when  they  will  uotenauie 
the  "-sound  ^doctrine;  but,  having  itching  ears,  will 
heap  to  themselves  teachers  after  their  owu  lusts ; 


I  Or,  bring  to  the  proof 2  Or.  healthful 3  Or,  teaching. 


second  appearing  and  in  the  eternal  kingdom 
which  Christ  shall  reveal  in  its  power  and 
majesty  at  that  day.  For  a  similar  charge, 
compare  1  Tim.  5  :  21 ;  6  :  13;  for  construction, 
Marie  5:7;  Acts  19  :  13 ;  1  Thess.  5 :  27. 

3.  Preach  the  word — the  word  of  God, 
the  gospel  of  Christ,  as  that  for  which  the 
souls  of  men  are  perishing,  and  which  alone 
will  bring  salvation.  This  word  uncorrupted, 
as  of  sincerity,  as  of  God,  in  the  sight  of  God, 
he  is  to  speak  in  Christ.  (2Coi-.  2:i7;  5:20.)  Jus- 
tin Martyr,  in  his  second  "Apology,"  thus 
describes  the  worship  of  the  early  churches: 
"On  Sunday  all  meet,  and  the  writings  of  the 
apostles  and  prophets  are  read  ;  then  the  pre- 
sident delivers  a  discourse;  after  this  all  stand 
up  and  pray;  then  there  is  offered  bread  and 
wine  and  water;  the  president  likewise  prays 
and  gives  thanks,  and  the  people  solemnly 
assent,  saying,  Amen."  Be  instant  in  sea- 
son, out  of  season — be  urgent  in  it;  be  ever 
engaged  in  it.  Whatever  the  time,  or  place, 
or  presence,  let  this  be  the  ever-present,  all 
absorbing  work.  Let  no  timidity  in  thee,  no 
personal  inconvenience,  no  gratification  of  thy 
taste  or  pleasure  hinder  thee  in  it;  but  always 
and  everywhere,  faithfully  and  fearlessly 
declare  to  men  the  gospel  that  God  has  com- 
mitted to  thee.  Do  not,  indeed,  speak  with- 
out regard  to  time  and  place  and  character 
(Matt.  7:6;  27:12-14) ;  but  remember  that  the  time, 
which  to  thy  imperfect  and  often  timid  view 
seems  unseasonable,  not  seldom  proves  to  be 
God's  own  time,  and  the  word,  a  word  in  sea- 
son. (Ecci.  11:6.)  Therefore,  "let  it  be  always 
time  for  thee;  not  in  peace  alone,  or  in  quiet- 
ness, or  when  in  church.  And  if  thou  be  in 
perils,  if  in  prison,  if  compassed  about  with 
chains,  if  even  going  forth  to  death,  even  at 
that  time,  convict,  withhold  not  the  word  of 
rebuke."  (Chrysostom.)  'RcTproxe  {convince), 
rebuke,  exhort,  with  all  long  suffering 
and  doctrine — literally,  in  all  long  suffering 
and  teaching,  denoting  the  sphere,  or  element, 
in  which  the  acts  previou.sly  enjoined  are  to 
be  done.    "  In  every  exhibition  of  long  suffer- 


ing and  every  method  of  teaching."  (Elli- 
cott. )  Patiently  endtiring  stupidity,  o])pc)si- 
tion,  and  iujury,  he  is  to  be  unwearied  in 
teaching,  seeking  to  convince  those  who  are  in 
error,  to  reprove  tiiose  who  do  wrong,  and  to 
stir  to  action  the  lagging  and  careless;  en- 
deavoring by  all  means  and  in  every  way,  to 
save  souls,  and  to  present  at  last  every  man 
perfect  in  Christ  Jesus.  Impatience  is  one  of 
the  chief  dangers  of  the  ministry.  The  pastor 
thus  becomes  either  discouraged  and  abandons 
effort  for  souls,  or  irritated  and,  instead  of  in- 
structing, denounces  them ;  in  either  case 
losing  his  hold  on  them,  and  missing  what 
were  in  fact  divinely  given  opportunities  for 
saving  them. 

3.  For  the  time  will  come  when  they 
will  not  endure  (the)  sound  (loholesome) 
doctrine.  Ground  of  the  foregoing  exhorta- 
tion ;  a  time  is  at  hand  when  they  will  not  put 
up  with  the  health-giving  doctrine  of  the  go.s- 
pel,  and  therefore  Timothy  should  be  the 
more  diligent  to  improve  the  present  oppor- 
tunity, while  they  will  hear.  He  is  speaking 
of  professed  Christians,  persons  within  tlie 
church.  'Sound  doctrine' — the  gospel  in  its 
simplicity  and  purity,  which  gives  health, 
soundness,  to  the  spiritual   man.     (iTim.  i:io; 

6:3;  2    im.  1 :  13  ;  TUus  1  :  9;  2  :  1,  8.)     Those  who  Cannot 

endure  this  show  thereby  that  they  are  at 
heart  opposed  to  the  gospel,  and  the  truth  is 
thus  here,  as  elsewhere,  inade  the  touchstone 
of  character,  in  accordance  with  the  words  of 
Christ.  (John  H:«-47;  10:26,27.)  Of  this  '  time,'  in 
its  various  aspects,  he  has  already  spoken 
(1  Tim. 4:1;  2 Tim.  3 : 1 ) ;  its  beginnings  wcrc  al- 
ready present.  But  after  their  own  lusts 
shall  they  heap  to  themselves  teachers, 
having  itching  ears.  'Heap':  the  word 
marks,  in  a  contemptuous  way,  the  number  of 
teachers  they  will  gather  to  themselves.  The 
tendency  of  such  as  refuse  sound  instruction 
under  a  trained,  regular  ministry  is  ever  to 
the  multiplication  (if  teachers.  Unstable,  rest- 
less, they  seek  that  which  gratifies  their  fancy, 
caprice,  or  passion  ;  or  wiiich  may  chance  for 


114 


11.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  IV. 


4  And  they  shall  turn  away  their  ears  from  the  truth, 
and  shall  be  turned  unto  fables. 

5  Hui  watch  ibou  iu  all  things,  endure  afflictions,  do 
the  work  of  an  evangelist,  uake  lull  proof  of  thy  min- 
istry. 


4  and  will  turn  away  their  ears  from  the  truth,  and 

5  turn    aside   unto  fables.    But  be  thou  sober  in  all 
things,  sutler  hardship,  do  the  work  of  an  evangelist, 


the  hour  to  be  new  and  popular.  The  thought 
is  probably  of  frequent  changes  from  one 
teacher  to  another,  as  by  persons  who,  having 
no  real  love  for  the  truth,  are  led  away  by 
novelty.  Their  preference  for  teachers  is  de- 
termined, not  by  regard  for  the  gospel,  but  by 
their  vagrant  tastes  and  fancies.  '  After  their 
own  lusts.'  Their  own  pleasure,  not  God's 
word,  is  the  standard  by  which  they  choose 
their  religious  guides.  Like  Israel  of  old, 
they  will  say:  "  Speak  unto  us  smooth  things; 
prophesy  deceits."  (isa. 30:io.)  Of  God's  faith- 
ful preacher,  they  will  say,  as  did  Ahab  of 
Micaiah  :  "I  hate  him  ;  for  he  doth  not  pro- 
phesy good  concerning  me,  but  evil."  (i  Kings 
n-.i.)  According  to  the  fixed  laws  of  moral 
being,  the  tendency  of  such  men  is  ever  to 
greater  error  and  sin,  and  it  proves  true  of 
them  that,  "because  they  received  not  the 
love  of  the  truth,  God  gave  them  up  to  a  re- 
probate mind,  that  they  should  believe  a  lie." 
(li  Tiiess. 2 :  11,  12.)  'Haviiig  itching  ears';  the 
reason  they  will  '  'heap  to  themselves  teachers." 
Not  seeking  wholesome  instruction,  they  are 
restlessly  eager  for  that  which  is  novel,  or  sen- 
sational, or  popular,  and  which,  instead  of 
opposing,  falls  in  with  their  own    lusts.     (Acts 

17:19-21.) 

4.  And  they  shall  turn  away  their  ears 
from  the  truth,  and  shall  be  turned  unto 
fables — literally, /rom-  the  friith,  indeed,  they 
will  turn  away  their  ears,  but  unto  the  fables 
will  they  turn  themselves  aside.  A  further 
description,  showing  the  result  of  such  a  ten- 
dency:  in  the  end  they  will  utterly  refuse  the 
truth,  and  will  turn  aside  to  the  profane  and 
old  wives'  fables,  of  which  he  had  before 
spoken,  (i  Tim.  4:7.)  This  has  had  repeated 
fulfillment  in  hi.story,  as  in  the  strange  and 
senseless  fables  of  the  Gnostics,  and  in  the 
Acta  Sanctorum,  of  the  papal  church,  in 
which  asceticism  has  been  fo.stered  by  the 
legendary  lore  of  hero  saints,  to  whom  are 
ascribed  fabulous  miracles,  wrought  through 
the  virtue  of  monkish  austerities  and  observ- 
ances. "Whosoever  will  not  listen  to  what 
is  true,  but  only  to  what  is  pleasant,  will  at 
last  wholly  abandon  himself  to  silly,  fantastic 
chimeras."     (Van  Oosterzee.) 


5.    But — in  contrast  with  those  just  men- 
tioned— watch    thou   in  all   things — or,   be 

sober.  It  denotes  the  wakefulness  and  mental 
alertness  which  belong  to  sobriety,  in  contrast 
with  the  obtuseness  and  heedlessness  in  intox- 
ication. Sobei — those  who  are  under  the  power 
of  error  and  sin  are  mentally  and  spiritually 
intoxicated,  and  are  living  under  the  hallu- 
cinations and  passions  of  drunkenness;  only 
such  as  are  under  the  power  of  truth  and  holi- 
ness are  sober,  with  the  clear  vision  and  rightly- 
balanced  mind  and  heart  of  sober  men.  (2:26; 
icor.  15:34;  iThess. 5:6.)  "Maintain  thy  coolness 
and  presence  of  mind,  that  thou  be  not  en- 
snared into  forgetful ness,  but  discern  and  use 
every  opportunity  of  speaking  and  acting  for 
the  truth."  Endure  afflictions — or,  as  in  the 
Revised  Version,  suffer  hardship ;  that  is,  the 
hardship  which  the  exercise  of  his  office 
brought,  in  toil,  reproach,  and  persecution. 
(2:9.)  Do  the  work  of  an  evangelist.  This 
office  is  directly  named  only  here  and  in  Acts 
21  :  8;  Eph.  4  :  11.  In  the  former  passage, 
Philip  of  Cesarea,  the  same  who  had  served 
in  Jerusalem  as  one  of  the  Seven  (Acts  e :  5),  and 
who  subsequently  instructed  and  baptized  the 
Ethiopian  eunuch  (Acts8:2B-4o),  is  called  "the 
evangelist  "  ;  and  in  the  latter,  evangelists  are 
mentioned  among  the  gifts  of  the  ascended 
Son  of  man  to  his  church,  when  from  his  heav- 
enly throne  he  "gave  some  apostles,  and  some 
prophets,  and  some  evangelists,  and  some  pas- 
tors and  teachers,  for  the  perfecting  of  the 
saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the 
edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ."  The  name 
indicates  their  work  as  pre-eminently  that  of 
preaching  the  gospel  (eiayyeAtov) ;  and  from 
this  passage,  as  well  as  from  the  work  of 
Philip,  we  may  infer  as  probable  that  they 
were  itinerant  ministers,  as  Apollos,  Timothy, 
Titus,  Luke,  and  others;  and  that  their  work, 
as  distinguished  from  that  of  pastors,  was 
rather  that  of  missionaries  sent  forth  to  evan- 
gelize regions  where  the  gospel  was  unknown, 
and  organize  and  strengthen  churches  on  des- 
titute or  missionary  fields.  Here  it  is  plain 
that  Timothy  was  not  "bishop  of  Ephesus," 
as  some  affirm  ;  for  had  he  been  such,  Paul 
would  have  so   addressed  him.     He  was  an 


Ch.  IV.] 


II.  TIMOTHY 


115 


6  For  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of 
my  departure  is  at  hand. 

7  I    have   fought  a   good   fight,  I   have  finished  my 
course,  I  have  kept  the  faith : 


6  fulfil  thy  ministry.    For  I  am  already  being>  offered, 

7  and   the  time  of   my  departure    is  come.     I   have 
fought  the  good  fight,  I  have  finished  tlie  course,  I 


1  Gr.  pQurtd  out  as  a  drink-offering. 


evangelist,  acting  as  an  assistant  to  the  apos- 
tle; and,  in  Paul's  absence,  charged  with 
some  of  the  apostle's  functions.  Make  full 
proof  oi  {accomplish  fully)  thy  ministry — 
fulfill  all  its  duties;  "so  exercise  it  that  thou 
duly  give  attention  to  all  its  parts"  ;  leave 
nothing  undone.  His  ministry  should  be  a 
complete  fulfilling  of  the  oflSce  in  all  its  duties 
and  responsibilities. 

6.  For  I.  The  imminence  of  the  apostle's 
death  is  here  introduced  as  an  incentive  to 
Timothy  to  fidelity  and  earnestness  in  his 
work,  as  if  the  apostle  said:  My  work  is  done. 
Ko  longer  can  I  labor  in  the  gospel.  The 
burden  now  falls  on  thee.  Be  true  to  Christ 
and  his  word,  looking  forward,  as  I  have  done, 
to  the  great  reward,  "the  crown  of  righteous- 
ness," which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge, 
will  bestow — not  on  me  only,  but  also  on 
thee,  if  faithful  to  the  end.  Am  now  ready 
to  be  offered  —  Kevised  Version,  Am  al- 
ready being  offered;  or,  being  poured  out, 
as  a  libation  or  drink  offering,  at  a  sacri- 
fice. His  blood  is  already  being  poured 
forth  as  an  offering  for  the  cause  of  God;  so 
said  because  the  process  had  already  begun, 
in  his  trial  before  Nero,  which  would  cer- 
tainly and  speedily  end  in  the  shedding  of  his 
blood  in  tnartyrdom.  As  the  wine  was  poured 
out  at  the  altar  in  the  oftering  to  God  (Num.isrs; 
28:7),  so  his  blood  is,  as  it  were,  already  being 
shed  in  his  then  imminent  bloody  death.  Com- 
pare Phil.  2  :  17.  "In  a  most  significant  way 
he  compares  his  own  martyr  death,  not  with  a 
sacrifice  proper  or  a  burnt  offering,  but  with  a 
drink  oftering  of  a  little  wine  and  oil,  which 
is  added  like  a  supplement,  and  thus  connects 
his  dying  for  the  truth  with  the  sacrificial  death 
of  the  only  Martyr.  Compare  1  Tim.  6  :  13; 
Col.  1  :  24."  (Van  Oosterzee.)  Others  inter- 
pret of  a  libation  poured  upon  the  victims  pre- 
paratory to  sacrifice,  "in  allusion  to  the  custom 
which  prevailed  among  the  heathen  generally 
of  pouring  wine  and  oil  on  the  head  of  a  victim 
when  it  was  about  to  be  offered."  Thus  Barnes, 
Fausset.  And  the  time  of  my  departure 
is  at  hand.  The  word  'departure'  (avaKvai^) 
is  used  of  unloosing,  or  casting  off,  the  fasten- 


ing of  a  ship,  preparatory  to  its  departure  on 
a  voyage  ;  and  here,  "  loosing  the  cable  from 
this  earthly  shore  on  a  voyage  to  the  eternal 
harbor  of  heavenly  peace."  (Wordsworth.) 
It  suggests  a  beautiful  view  of  death  as  at  once 
a  release  from  earth  and  the  passage  to  the 
heavenly  life. 

7.  I  have  fought  a  {the)  good  fight — or 
(as  the  language  is  not  restricted  to  &Jight, 
but  may  denote  any  form  of  contest),  if  the 
following  clause  be  taken  as  defining  and 
completing  the  figure  in  this,  /  have  main- 
tained the  noble  cojitest ;  or,  with  Ellicott, 
"The  good  strife  I  have  striven."  He  draws 
a  figure,  as  so  often,  from  the  Greek  games, 
and  compares  his  Christian  life  to  a  conte.st 
among  the  athletes,  who  contended  for  the 
prize.  (Acts  M:  24:  1  Tim.  6: 12.)  With  them  the 
contest  was  for  a  brief  hour,  and  the  prize  a 
corruptible  crown  ;  with  him  the  contest,  con- 
tinuous and  strenuous,  was  maintained  through 
life,  and  the  prize  was  an  incorruptible  crown, 
(i  Cor. 9:24-27;  Phu. 3 :  12-14.)  "There  is  nothing  no- 
bler than  this  contest.  This  crown  is  inde- 
structible, it  is  not  a  thing  of  wild  olives.  It 
has  not  man  for  presiding  arbiter,  nor  has  it 
men  for  spectators ;  the  theatre  is  filled  with 
angel  witnesses."  (Chrysostom.)  I  have  fin- 
ished my  course — the  form  of  contest  is  the 
race.  That  race  is  vividlj'  set  forth  in  Ileb. 
12  :  1,  where  "a  great  cloud  of  witnesses,"  the 
heroes  of  faith  in  all  the  ages  past,  are  behold- 
ing the  contest  and  applauding  those  who  "run 
with  patience  the  race  set  before"  them.  To 
"finish  this  course  with  joy"  had  been  the 
apostle's  life  endeavor;  and  now  the  course 
was  run,  the  goal  was  reached,  and  already 
his  faith  beholds  the  Judge  conferring  the 
"unfading  crown  of  glory."  I  have  kept 
the  faith.  Suspending  the  figure,  he  now 
uses  direct  speech.  The  gospel,  that  sacred 
trust  committed  to  me  by  Christ,  I  have  held 
firmly  to  the  end.  'The  faith'  here,  as  is 
usual  in  the  Pastoral  Epistles,  is  objective,  the 
system  of  truth  contained  in  the  gospel.  This, 
amid  all  the  apostasies  of  professed  friends 
and  all  the  persecutions  of  foes,  he  had  un- 
flinchingly held,  and  he  was  now  about  to  seal 


116 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  IV. 


8  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crowu  of 
righteousness,  wliich  the  Lord,  tlie  righteous  judge, 
shall  give  me  at  that  day :  and  Dot  to  me  ouly,  but  uuto 
all  them  also  that  love  his  apijearing. 

9  Do  thy  diligence  to  come  shortly  uuto  me: 


8  have  kept  the  faith :  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for 
me  the  crown  ol  righteousness,  which  ihe  Lord,  the 
righteous  judge,  shall  give  to  me  at  that  day:  and 
not  only  to  me,  but  aliso  to  all  them  that  have  loved 
his  appearing. 

9  Do  thy  diligence  to  come  shortly  unto  me:  for 


his  testimony  to  these  truths    by   a  martyr 
death. 

8.  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a 
{the)  crown  of  righteousness — that  is,  the 
crown  which  is  bestowed  in  view  of,  or  as  the 
reward  of,  righteousness.  Elsewiiere  the  crown 
is  characterized  as  to  its  nature,  as  "the  crown 
of  life,"  in  James  1 :  12;  "the  crown  of  glory," 
in  1  Peter  5:4;  but  here  the  fitness,  or  recti- 
tude, of  its  bestowal  is  set  forth,  as  is  evident 
from  the  characterizing  of  him  who  bestows  it 
as  the  righteous  Judge.  The  goal  is  reached  ; 
the  race  is  won;  it  is  fitting  and  right,  there- 
fore, that  the  crown  be  bestowed  on  the  victor. 
(.Col.  1 :5;  1  Peter  1 : 4.)  'Laid  Up' — securely  re- 
served, as  a  treasure  gained  and  kept  in  a  safe 
place  for  the  future.  Which  the  Lord,  the 
rig'hteoHs  judge,  shall  give  me  at  that 
day.  •  Righteous  judge ' — with  special  empha- 
sis in  the  Greek,  possibly  in  contrast  with 
Nero,  his  unrighteous  earthly  judge.  Christ 
is  the  judge  from  whose  hand  the  victor  shall 
receive  the  crown  ;  and  the  time  of  the  award 
is  'that  day,' the  day  of  his  glorious  appearing 
and  of  the  final  judgment,  when,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  assembled  universe,  the  Righteous 
Judge  shall  requite  and  exalt  his  faithful  ser- 
vants. See  Matt.  13  :  49 ;  25  :  21,  31-46 ;  Luke 
19  :  17 ;  Acts  10  :  42;  2  Tiie.ss.  1  :  5-10.  '  Shall 
give' — properly,  according  to  nearly  uniform 
usage  in  the  New  Testament,  shall  recom- 
jyense,  reward,  as  the  bestowal  of  that  which 
is  in  some  sense  due.  Here  it  is  the  award  of 
a  prize  to  the  victor  in  a  contest.  But  the  re- 
ward is  wholly  of  grace ;  for  it  was  only 
through  the  grace  of  Christ  the  apostle 
achieved  the  victory,  and  thus  obtained  the 
title  to  the  gracious  promises  of  God.  He  ever 
declared  :  "  By  tlie  grace  of  God,  I  am  what 
I  am";  "I  labored  more  abundantly  than 
they  all,  yet  not  I,  but  the  grace  of  God  that 
was  in  me."  (i  Cor.  15 :  10.)  But  God  makes  gra- 
cious promises  to  Christians;  if  they  fulfill 
the  conditions  of  these  promises,  he  is  right- 
eous in  bestowing  on  them  the  things  promised. 
(Heb. 6:10.)  The  '  crown  of  righteoiisness'  is 
thus  awarded  as  the  righteous  requital  of  all 
the  toil  and  conflict  through  which  the  victory 


has  been  achieved,  and  as  the  just  reward  of 
the  righteous  character  which  has  thereby 
been  attained.  The  glory  of  the  redeemed 
will  appear,  therefore,  to  the  moral  universe, 
not  only  as  exhibiting  God's  infinite  grace, 
but  also  as  having  in  itself  an  absolute  moral 
fitness  in  the  nature  of  things.  (Eom.  2 : 6, 7;  2  Cor. 
6:10.)  And  not  to  me  only.  "It  is,  however, 
no  special  apostolic  privilege,  no  martyr  pre- 
rogative." (Beck.)  At  the  Grecian  games 
one  only  could  obtain  the  crown ;  all  others, 
however  earnestly  they  had  striven,  must  fail. 
But  in  the  heaTcnlj^  race  the  prize  is  not 
reserved  for  a  single,  distinguished  contest- 
ant; every  earnest  soul,  however  humble 
his  position,  if  he  truly  strive  to  the  end, 
shall  win.  The  Lord  will  bestow  the  victor's 
crown  on  all  who  made  him  the  goal  of  their 
earthly  course.  But  unto  all  them  also 
that  love  his  appearing— all  who,  having 
loved  Christ,  have  longingly  looked  forward 

to  his  glorious  ai)pearing.       (iTim.  6;14;  Titus  2:13; 

Rev.  22 :  20.)  As  if  he  had  said:  This  crown 
awaits  not  me  alone,  but  thee  also,  and  all 
those  who  have  truly  loved  and  followed 
Christ,  with  hope  fixed  on  the  glory  to  be  re- 
vealed when  he  shall  appear.  (Rom.  s:  18-23.) 
"'Them  that  love' — have  loved  and  do  love : 
habitual  love  and  desire  for  Christ's  appear- 
ing, which  presupposes  faith.  (Heb.  9:28.)  Com- 
pare the  sad  contrast  in  ver.  10,  'having  loved 
this  present  world.'  "     (Fausset.) 

9-15.  Timothy  Urged  to  Hasten  His 
Coming  to  Rome. — 1.  A  reason  is  assigned 
for  this;  the  apostle  is  almost  forsaken,  all  his 
usual  fellow-workers,  except  Luke,  having 
left  the  city.  (10,11.)  2.  In  coming  he  is  to 
bring  with  him  Mark,  as  also  certain  articles 
left  behind  at  Troas.  (12,  13.)  3.  He  takes 
occasion  to  put  Timothy  on  his  guard  against 
a  certain  Alexander,  who  had  proved  a  bitter 
opposer.     (14,  15.) 

9.  Do  thy  diligence  to  come  shortly 
unto  me.  He  makes  here  an  urgent  request 
for  that  at  which  he  had  before  only  hinted. 
(1:4.8.)  He  is  about  to  suffer  death,  and  with 
a  feeling  kindred  to  that  of  his  Lord  (Matt.  26: 
37,38),  he  desires  the  presence  and  sympathy 


Ch.  IV.] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


117 


10  For  Denias  hath  forsaken  nie,  having  loved  this  [  10  Demas  forsook  me,  having  loved  this  present  i  world, 
present  world,  and  is  departed  unto  Tliessaloiiica ;  1  and  went  to  Thessalonica ;  liescens  lo  -Mialalia, 
Crescens  to  Cialatia,  Titus  unto  l>iiliiKUia.  |  11  Titus  to  Daliuatia.     Oidv  Luke  is  with  uie.    Take 

11  Only  l-uke  is  wiili  lue.  Take  Mark,  and  bring  i  Mark,  and  bring  Lim  w'ilh  tliee:  for  he  ii  useful 
him  with  thee :  for  he  is  protitable  to  me  for  the  minis-  , 

try.  I 


1  Or,  age 2  Or,  Gaul. 


of  his  best-loved  friend.  Other  ret\sons  for 
hastening  his  coming  were  the  approach  of 
winter,  when  traveling  would  be  difficult 
(ver.  21),  and  the  nearness  of  his  death,  (ver.  7.) 
It  may  be,  also,  that  there  were  urgent  needs 
in  the  condition  of  the  Christian  cause  at 
Rome  for  Timothy's  presence,  especially  as 
Paul  himself  could  no  longer  supervise  its 
interests. 

10.  For  Demas  hath  forsaken  me.  This 
person  is  mentioned  among  the  apostle's  hon- 
ored fellow- workers.  (Col.  4:14;  Phileoi.  24.)  Dc- 
mas'  desertion  of  him,  therefore,  at  this  hour 
of  peril  and  sutfering,  must  have  been  all  the 
more  keenly  felt.  Having  loved  this  pres- 
ent world  —  "that  is,  the  eartlily,  visible 
world,  with  its  good  things,  in  opposition  to 
the  invisible,  still  future  kingdom  of  Christ, 
which  was  the  object  of  the  highest  love  of 
Paul,  and  for  the  sake  of  which  he  endured 
willingly  the  heaviest  affliction."  (Van  Oos- 
terzee. )  Whether  from  lack  of  courage  and 
fortitude,  he  had  shrunk  from  possible  suffer- 
ing or  death,  if  identified  with  the  apostle  in 
his  peril,  or  from  love  of  pleasure  or  gain  he 
had  been  drawn  away  from  the  ministerial 
work  into  some  secular  pursuit,  is  not  deter- 
mined by  the  text;  the  latter  has  been  the 
more  common  conjecture.  In  either  case  his 
act  was  not  necessarily  an  apostasy  from 
Cliri.st,  as  is  sometimes  hastily  inferred;  it 
may  have  been  only  a  temporary  lapse  of 
faith.  "  Observe  the  solemn  contrast  between 
him  who  'loved  this  present  world,'  and 
those  who  'love  his  appearing.'"  (Words- 
worth.) And  is  departed  unto  Thessa- 
lonica — the  modern  Salonica,  then  a  great 
commercial  capital  of  Macedonia,  and  still 
one  of  the  largest  cities  of  European  Turkey. 
Chrysostom  speaks  of  this  as  Demas'  native 
place,  and  an  old,  but  improbable,  tradition 
states  that  he  became  there  an  idol  priest. 
Crescens  to  Galatia — possibly  not  Galatia 
in  Asia  Minor,  but  Gaul  in  Europe,  as  the 
same  word  designated  both  countries  some- 
times, and  Gallia  is  the  reading  in  the  Sinaitic 


and  Alexandrian  codices,  and  in  several  cur- 
sives, with  some  manuscripts  of  the  early  Latin 
version.  Thus  also  Eusebius  and  Theodoret. 
A  late  tradition  reports  him  as  founding  the 
church  at  Vienne  in  Gaul.  Titus  to  Dal- 
matia — a  part  of  the  ancient  Illyricum,  on 
the  Adriatic.  Crescens  and  Titus  probably 
went  by  the  apostle's  direction,  and  seem  not 
to  be  included  in  the  ccJisure  on  Demas.  It 
would  appear,  therefore,  that  Titus  had  left 
Crete,  after  "setting  in  order"  the  affairs  of 
the  churches  there  (Titus  i:  5);  had  then,  ac- 
cording to  the  apostle's  direction  (Titus3;i2), 
gone  to  him  at  Nicopolis,  in  Epirus,  and 
thence  followed  him  to  Rome,  from  which 
place  he  had  now  passed  to  Dalmatia. 

11.  Only  Luke  is  with  me — that  is,  of  his 
fellow  laborers;  other  friends  wore  with  him. 
(Ver.  21.)  By  Luke  is  meant,  without  doubt, 
the  writer  of  Luke's  Gospel  and  of  the  Acts, 
who  had  so  long  and  faithfully  attended  the 
apostle.  He  had  accompanied  Paul  during 
parts  of  his  second  and  third  missionary  tours, 
in  his  imprisonment  at  Cesarea,  in  the  voj-age 
to   Rome,    and   his   first   imprisonment  there 

(Acts  16  :  10;  20  ;  6;  24  :  2.1;  28  :  26)  ;    and  nOW  he  IS  foUnd 

with  him  in  his  last  and  most  severe  imprison- 
ment, on  the  eve  of  his  martyrdom.  Luke 
was  a  physician  (Coi.  4 :  14),  as  well  as  an  evangel- 
ist; and  to  a  Christian  character,  singularly 
beautiful  in  its  modest  worth,  he  added  a  re- 
fined Greek  culture,  as  is  evident  in  the  Gos- 
pel and  the  Acts  written  by  him.  Tradition 
places  the  sphere  of  his  later  ministry  in  Gaul, 
but  his  tomb  is  still  pointed  out  among  the 
ruins  at  Ephesus.  Take  Mark,  and  bring 
him  with  thee.  The  evangelist  Mark,  cousin 
of  Barnabas,  attended  Paul  and  Barnabas  on 
the  first  missionary  journey,  but  on  reaching 
Pamphylia  left  them,  apparently  shrinking 
from  the  danger  and  hardship — a  circumstance 
which  subsequently  led  to  a  dissen.sion  between 
the  missionaries,  and  when  Barnabas  went  to 
labor  in  Cyprus,  Mark  accompanied  him.  At 
a  later  period    he  was  with    Paul   at   Rome 

(Acts  12:25;  14:38,39;  Col.  4  :  lO),  and    Still    hltCr   he  IS 


118 


II.  TIMOTHY 


[Ch.  IV. 


12  And  Tychiciis  have  I  sent  to  Ephesus. 

lo  The  clcjak  that  1  left  at  Troas,  with  Carpus,  when 
thou  coiuest,  bring  ivilh  tliee,  and  the  books,  but 
especially  the  purchuients. 


12  to    me    for  ministering.     But  Tychicus   I  sent   to 

13  Ephesus.     The  cloak  that  I  left  at  Troas  with  Car- 
pus, bring  when  thou  comest,  and  the  books,  espe- 


found  with  Peter  at  Babylon,  (i  Peters :  is.)  It 
is  not  known  where  lie  was  when  thi.s  Epistle 
was  written  ;  but  Timothy  is  instructed  to  take 
him  up  on  his  way  (compare  Acts  20  :  13, 14), 
and  bring  him.  He  seems  to  have  fully  re- 
deemed his  character,  so  sadly  sullied  by  the 
desertion  in  Pamphylia,  and  found  again  the 
full  confidence  of  the  apostle.  Tradition  con- 
nects his  later  ministry  with  Egypt  and  Alex- 
andria. For  he  is  profitable  to  me  for  the 
ministry.  Whether  this  refers  to  personal 
service  to  Paul,  or  to  public  service  as  a  min- 
ister, is  not  absolutely  clear;  but  the  latter  is 
highly  probable.  As  Mark  had  been  much  in 
Rome,  it  is  conjectured  that  his  knowledge  of 
the  Latin  language  and  of  the  Roman  people 
gave  him  special  adaptation  to  the  work  there. 
13.  And  Tychicus  have  I  sent  to  Eph- 
sus — not,  'have  I  sent.'  The  expression  does 
not  prove  that  Timothy  was  not,  at  this  time, 
in  Ephesus  ;  for  it  may  signify  I  sent  (as  thou 
knowest).  Tychicus  was  with  Paul  on  his 
third  missionary  journey  (Acts20;5);  and  dur- 
ing the  first  Roman  imprisonment  the  apostle 
sent  him  as  the  bearer  of  the  epistles  to  the 
Ephesians,  to  the  Colossians,  and  probably  to 
Philemon  ;  at  which  time  he  characterizes  him 
as  "  the  beloved  brother  and  faithful  minister 
in  the  Lord"  (Eph.6: 21;  Coi.  4: 7).  He  is  now 
sent  again  to  Ephesus,  but  the  purpose  is  not 
stated;  possibly  it  was  to  fill  temporarily  the 
place  of  Timothy  while  he  went  to  Paul  at 
Rome.  The  cloak  that  I  left  at  Troas, 
with  Carpus,  when  thou  comest,  bring 
with  thee.  Some  translate  book  case,  or  hook 
bag,  in  which  books  are  carried;  but  cloak  is 
the  more  probable  rendering.  It  was  a  long, 
thick  garment,  without  sleeves,  enwrappingthe 
whole  body ;  such  a  garment  as  Paul  would 
greatly  need  in  his  damp,  unwarmed  cell. 
In  the  stress  of  persecution,  he  may  have  been 
hurried  away  from  Troas,  leaving  this,  with 
the  books,  behind.  His  deep  poverty  is  evi- 
dent in  his  sending  so  far  for  such  a  garment. 
"The  mention  of  his  '  cloak,'  so  far  from  being 
unworthy  of  inspiration,  is  one  of  those  graphic 
touches  which  sheds  a  flood  of  light  on  the  last 
scene  of  Paul's  life,  on  the  confines  of  two 
worlds;  in  this,  wanting  a  cloak  to  cover  him 


from  the  winter  cold;  in  that,  covered  with 
the  righteousness  of  saints,  'clothed  upon  with 
his  house  from  heaven.'"  (Fausset.)  This 
passage  plainly  supposes  that  Paul  had  re- 
cently left  Troas,  and  forbids  the  supposition 
that  this  Epistle  was  written  during  the  first 
Roman  imprisonment;  for  at  that  time  his 
last  visit  to  Troas  had  occurred  in  the  spring, 
A.  D.  58,  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem.  (acis20:6.) 
He  was  then  imprisoned  at  Cesarea  two  years, 
after  which  he  reached  Rome  in  the  spring, 
A.  T>.  61,  and  spent  "two  whole  years"  preach- 
ing the  gospel  "in  his  own  hired  house,"  bring- 
ing us  to  the  spring,  A.  D.  63,  before  the  cir- 
cumstances under  which  this  Epistle  was 
written  could  have  existed.  Thus  more  than 
five,  and,  probablj',  fully  six,  years  must  have 
passed  when  he  wrote  in  this  way  respecting 
the  things  left  in  Troas,  a  supposition  wholly 
incredible.  This  circumstance,  therefore,  seems 
to  me  as  one  of  several  incidental,  but  decisive 
proofs  that  the  Pastoral  Epistles  were  written 
ata  later  period  than  the  Roman  imprisf)nment 
related  in  Acts,  and  after  Paul  had  again  vis- 
ited Asia  Minor.  And  the  books,  bnt  espe- 
cially the  parchments.  The  books,  written 
on  papyrus,  were  more  perishable ;  but  the 
parchments  were  costly,  and  doubtless  were 
writings  of  higher  importance.  The  apostle 
was  now  an  old  man,  and  was  looking  forward 
to  a  martyr's  death;  but  the  love  of  study 
remained,  and  even  in  the  felon's  cell  he  wants 
his  books.  Though  inspired,  perpetual  study 
was  with  him,  as  with  all  men,  the  source  of 
fre>hness  and  power  in  preaching.  "Poor 
inventory  of  a  saint's  possessions!  not  worth 
a  hundredth  part  of  what  a  buffoon  would  get 
for  one  jest  in  Cesar's  palace,  or  an  acrobat  for 
a  feat  in  the  amphitheatre  ;  but  would  he  have 
exchanged  them  for  the  jewels  of  the  advent- 
urer Agrippa,  or  the  purple  of  the  tinspeakable 
Nero?  No,  he  is  more  than  content.  His 
soul  is  joyful  in  God.  If  he  has  the  cloak  to 
keep  him  warm,  and  the  books  and  parch- 
ments to  teach  and  encourage  him,  and  if, 
above  all,  Timothy  will  come  himself,  then 
life  will  shed  on  him  its  last  raj'S  of  sunshine  ; 
and  in  lesser  things,  as  in  all  greater,  he  will 
wait  with  thankfulness,  even  with  exultation, 


Ch.  IV.] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


119 


14  Alexander  the  coppersmith  did  me  much  evil:  the 
Lord  reward  him  according  to  his  works  : 

15  Of  vvliom  be  lliou  ware  also;  lor  he  hath  greatly 
withstood  our  words. 

16  At  my  tirst  answer  no  man  stood  with  me,  but  all 
men  forsook  me:  I  pray  God  tliat  it  may  not  be  laid  to 
their  charge. 


14  cially  the  parchments.    Alexander  the  coppersmith 
'did  me  miicli  evil:  the  Lord  will  render  to  iiim 

15  according  to  his  works:  of  whom  be  thou  wan-  also; 
10  for  he  greatly  withstood  our  words.     At   my  first 

defence   no  one  took,  my  part,  but  all  forsook  me : 


1  Gr.  shewed. 


the  pouring  out  in  libation  of  those  last  few 
drops  of  his  heart's  blood,  of  which  the  rich, 
full  stream  has  for  these  long  years  been  flow- 
ing fortli  upon  God's  altar  in  willing  sacrifice." 
(Farrar. ) 

14.  Alexander  the  coppersmith  did  me 
much  evil — or,  "showed  me  much  ill-treat- 
ment." (ElHcott.)  Not  necessarily  "the 
coppersmith,"  but  used  in  later  Greek  of  a 
worker  in  any  of  the  metals,  especially  in 
iron.  Whether  he  is  identical  with  the  A  lex- 
ander  mentioned  as  put  forward  by  the  Jews 
before  the  Ephesian  assembly  (Acts  19:33,3+),  or 
with  him  who  is  described,  with  Hymeneus,  as 
a  blasphemer  and  excommunicated  person 
(I Tim. 1 : 20),  cannot  be  determined;  it  is  not 
improbable  that  in  all  three  places  the  same 
person  is  intended.  Possibly  Alexander  had 
come  to  Koine  as  one  of  Paul's  accusers  before 
the  imperial  court,  and  the  correct  translation 
here  may  be,  as  given  by  Lange,  "laid  many 
evil  charges  against  me  "  ;  and  now,  after  the 
apostle's  trial  and  acquittal  on  the  first  charge, 
he  had  returned  to  Ephesus,  smarting  under 
his  defeat,  and  likely,  therefore,  to  be  the 
more  dangerous  to  the  cause  there.  The 
Lord  reward  {will  requite)  him  according 
to  his  work — not  an  imprecation,  but,  ac- 
cording to  the  best  manuscripts,  a  prophecy. 
Whether  he  affirms  the  certainty  of  this  from 
the  general  fact  that  all  men  will  be  judged 
according  to  their  deeds,  or  from  a  special 
revelation  made  to  him  in  regard  to  this  man, 
the  language  here  does  not  decide.  But  the 
apostle,  refraining  from  personal  judgment, 
leaves  him  to  the  certain  and  holy  judgment 
of  God,  assured  that  it  will  be  according  to 
his  works. 

15.  Of  whom  be  thou  ware  also.  The 
opposition  to  the  gospel  whicli  led  him  to  with- 
stand Paul,  would  lead  him  also  to  oppose 
Timothy  ;  and  the  apostle  gives  this  warning 
against  him  as  a  man  not  to  be  instructed,  as 
in  2  :  25,  but  to  be  watched  and  avoided.  For 
he  hath  greatly  withstood  our  words. 
He  had  been  an  aggressive,   persistent,   and 


perhaps  violent,  opposer.  '  Our  words ' — either 
the  gospel  as  taught  by  Paul  and  others  at 
Ephesus,  or  the  words  of  the  apostle  in  his 
recent  defense  before  the  Roman  Court. 

iti-18.  Account  of  Paul's  First  De- 
fense Before  the  Imperial  Court.— He 
states  that  on  this  occasion  :  1.  No  one  came 
forward  in  his  behalf,  but  all  men  forsook 
him^  which  sin  he  prays  that  God  will  not 
account  to  them.  2.  Christ,  however,  stood 
by  him  and  strengthened  him,  in  order  that 
through  him  the  proclamation  of  the  gospel 
might  be  fully  made  in  tlie  hearing  of  the 
Gentiles.  3.  "The  result  was  his  deliverance; 
and  he  is  confident  that  the  Lord  will  deliver 
him  and  preserve  him  unto  the  iieavenly  king- 
dom, to  whom  he  ascribes  the  glory  unto 
eternal  ages. 

16.  At  my  first  answer— /lu^^tc  defense 
(i.TTo\oyia),  Openly  made  before  a  court.  The 
charge  against  him  seems  to  have  had  two 
counts,  on  which  he  was  tried  separately. 
Here  the  defense  was  on  the  first  count,  and 
on  this  he  seems  to  have  been  acquitted.  Pos- 
sibly the  first  count  charged  complicity  in  the 
burning  of  Rome,  a  crime  which  Nero  charged 
upon  the  Christians;  and  by  proving  tiiat  he 
was  absent  from  Rome  at  the  time  of  the  con- 
flagration, he  obtained  acquittal;  while  the 
second  count  may  have  been  the  crime  of  in- 
troducing a  re/iffio  iUicita,  an  unlegalized 
religion,  the  penalty  of  which  was  death.  No 
man  stood  with  me— or,  came  forward  for 
me;  a  forensic  expression,  signifying  that 
there  was  no  legal  advocate,  or  counsel,  but 
here  perhaps  referring  to  the  total  absence  of 
supporte/s.  He  stood  before  the  court  wholly 
unsupported  by  sympathizing  friends,  whose 
presence  might  cheer  him  in  the  trial  and 
might  favorably  affect  the  minds  of  his  judges. 
Even  his  witnesses  seem  to  have  failed  him,  a 
fact  to  which  possibly  he  refers  in  1  :  15,  in 
speaking  of  "all  they  which  are  in  Asia"  as 
having  "turned  away  from"  him.  But  all 
men  forsook  me.  The  peril  of  his  position 
was  so  great  that  no  one  had  courage  to  appear 


120 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  IV. 


li  Notwithstanding  the  Lord  stood  with  uie,  and  ;  17  may  it  not  be  laid  to  their  account.  But  the  Lord 
strenytlieued  me;  that  by  me  the  preaching  might  be  |  stood  bv  me,  and  'strengthened  me;  that  through 
lully  known,  and  that  ali  the  (.entiles  might  hear ;  and  i  me  the  ^message  miyht  be  fullv  proclaimed,  ai.d 
1  was  delivered  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  lion.  |       that  all  the  Gentiles  might  hear:  and  I  was  de- 


1  Or,  gave  me  power 2  Or,  proclamation. 


as  his  friend,  even  as  a  witness  in  his  behalf. 
The  annals  of  persecution  under  Nero  may 
well  suggest  the  fearful  danger  of  him  who 
should  publicly  appear  in  behalf  of  a  Chris- 
tian, especially  of  one  so  distinguished  as  Paul. 
The  most  cruel  tortures,  the  must  terrible  forms 
of  death,  were  inflicted  on  the  Iiated  sect.  The 
noble  apostle  thus  stood  absolutely  friendless 
and  forsaken  before  the  imperial  court.  Com- 
pare the  similar  abandonment,  in  time  of  dan- 
ger and  calamity,  of  Job  (i»:i3-n),  of  David, 
(p».38:2j«:9;  55:12-14),  and  of  Christ  himself 
(Matt.  26:56).  I  pray  God  that  it  may  not 
be  laid  to  their  charge — "may  God  for- 
give them,  as  I  do!"  Grievous  as  was  the 
wrong  d  one  to  him,  great  as  was  the  sin  th  ey  th  us 
committed  against  God,  he  prays  that  the  Lord 
will  notaccountittothem.  He  sees  the  magni- 
tude of  the  danger  to  which  such  an  exhibition 
of  their  friendship  will  expose  them,  and  his 
generous  heart  forgives  their  weakness.     (Luke 

23:34;  Acts  1  :  60.) 

17.  Notwithstanding  the  Lord  stood 
with  me  and  strengthened  me — or,  "sup- 
plied me  with  inward  strength."  (Phii.4:i3;i 
Tim.  1 :  12.)  Forsakeii  by  all  earthly  friends,  he 
was  not  alone.  There  was  One  beside  him — 
invisible,  indeed,  to  that  haughty  Koman 
Court,  but  absolutely  real  and  visible  to  the 
inward  sen.sc  of  the  undefended,  deserted 
prisoner;  and  from  this  glorious  Presence  he 
received  a  more  than  mortal  strength  in  all 
the  faculties  of  his  soul.  He  was  filled  with  a 
power  that  lilted  him  above  fear,  inspired 
holy  boldness,  suggested  thoughts  and  words, 
and  clothed  the  whole  man  with  a  divine 
energy  which  Jiis  enemies  could  not  resist. 
Christ's  words  were  fulfilled  in  him:  "Ye 
shall  be  brought  before  governors  and  kings 
for  my  sake,  for  a  testimony  against  them 
and  the  Gentiles.  But  when  the3'  deliver  you 
up,  take  no  thought  how  or  what  ye  shall 
speak:  for  it  shall  be  given  you  in  that  same 
hour  what  ye  shall  speak  :  for  it  is  not  ye  that 
speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  which 
speaketh  in  you."  (Matt,  lo :  18.20.)  The.  great 
promise  was  verified:  "Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."    Man 


may  forsake  us,  but  God  never  forsakes  his 
people.  (Ps.27:io;  i5u.43:i,2.)  That  by  me  the 
preaching  might  be  fully  known,  and  that 
all  the  Gentiles  might  hear— that  is,  that, 
being  thus  filled  with  divine  power,  he  might 
be  able,  in  the  presence  of  the  Eoman  Court 
and  of  the  vast  assembly  of  representative 
men  of  all  nations  gathered  there,  to  declare 
fully  the  gospel  message.  It  is  not  of  himself 
the  apostle  thinks,  even  in  this  supreme  mo- 
ment of  danger;  but,  as  at  Cesarea  before 
Felix,  and  before  Festus  and  Agrippa,  so  here 
before  the  imperial  court  at  Rome,  he  uses  the 
occasion  less  for  a  mere  personal  defense  than 
for  the  proclamation  of  the  saving  truths  of 
the  gospel,  which  the  Lord  had  committed  to 
him.  Thus,  in  one  of  those  great  basilicas  in 
the  Eoman  Forum,  the  blessed  words  of  the 
divine  salvation  rang  out  in  the  ears  of  the 
noblest  in  Rome,  and  of  multitudes  from  all 
parts  of  the  empire,  to  most  of  whom  the  glad 
tidingsof  God's  rich  grace  in  Christ  were  then 
first  published.  '  The  preaching  miglit  be  fullj- 
known.'  "It  is  his  defense  in  the  capital  of 
the  world,  the  representative  of  the  nations, 
before  the  supreme  tribunal  and  the  encircling 
multitude  of  people,  which  Paul  regards  as 
the  crown  and  consummation  of  his  apostolic 
preaching,  and  as  preaching  in  the  hearing  of 
all  nations."  (Wiesinger.)  Compare  Acts 
9  :  15 ;  26  :  16.  And  I  was  delivered  out  of 
the  mouth  of  the  lion.  What  lion?  Sev- 
eral answers  are  given :  1.  Nero,  who  in  his 
brutal  rage  and  cruelty*  is  compared  to  this 
ravenous  beast.  2.  The  lions  of  the  amphi- 
theatre, to  which  Paul  was  in  danger  of  being 
thrown,  but  from  which  he  was  saved  by  es- 
tablishing his  Roman  citizenship.  3.  The 
danger  in  which  he  had  stood  of  conviction 
and  condemnation  to  death,  from  which  he 
had  been  saved  by  his  acquittal.  Thus  David, 
when  in  danger  and  calamity,  prays:  "Save 
me  from  the  lion's  mouth"  (ps.  22:21 ;  35:7),  a 
figure  often  recurring  in  Scripture  (ps.5T:4:  jer. 
51  :S8;  Hnseaii :  10).  An  obvious  objection,  how- 
ever, to  all  these  explanations,  is  that  the 
apostle,  in  the  next  verse,  expresses  confidence 
that  he  will  still  experience  similar  deliver- 


Ch.  IV.] 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


121 


18  And  the  Lord  shall  deliver  me  from  every  evil 
work,  and  will  preserve  me  unto  his  heavenly  kingdom  : 
to  wlioni  he  glory  for  ever  and  ever.     .Vmen. 

VJ  Salute  I'risca  and  Aquila,  and  llie  household  of 
Oiiesiplioriis. 

2)  Erastu.s  abode  at  Corinth:  but  Trophinius  have  I 
left  at  Miletum  siek. 


18  livered  out  of  the  luoulh  of  the  lion.  The  Lord  will 
deliver  me  from  every  evil  wcprk,  anil  will  save  me 
unto  his  heavenly  kingdom:  to  whom  he  the  glory 
1  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

19  Salute  I'risca  and  Aquila,  and  the  house  of  Onesi- 

20  phorus.    Krastus  abode  at  (Jonnih;  but  Trophinius 


1  Gr.  UHto  the  ages  of  the  ages. 


ance,  whereas  it  is  plain  from  ver.  6-8,  that  he 
did  not  expect  to  be  delivered  from  death,  but 
believes  tliat  his  martyrdom  at  the  hands  of 
his  enemies  is  imminent.  4.  Others,  there- 
fore, regard  the  vk^ord  as  referring  to  Satan 
(Luke  2J:  31;  1  Peter  5  •  8),  and  the  danger  froiii  which 
he  was  rescued  as  tlie  temptation  to  deny 
Christ,  or,  at  least,  to  shrink  in  that  great 
Presence  from  a  full  confession  of  him.  From 
this  temptation  he  was  delivered,  and  he  re- 
ceived strength  to  make  a  bold  and  clear  con- 
fession of  his  Lord  before  that  heathen 
assembly;  though  he  stood  there  alone,  un- 
cliecred  by  a  single  sympathizing  face  and 
in  imminent  peril  of  death.  This  last  inter- 
pretation seems  to  me  the  most  natural  one, 
as  well  as  the  most  consonant  with  the  con- 
text. 

18.  And  the  Lord  shall  deliver  me  from 
every  evil  work.  He  is  fully  assured  of  like 
deliverance  from  temptation  to  sin,  even  to 
the  end.  'Evil  work' — not  injury  done  to 
him  by  others, — it  is  plain  he  did  not  expect 
deliverance  from  this, — but  sin  done  by  him- 
self, such  as  that  of  denying  Christ,  from 
wiiich  he  had  just  been  delivered.  He  is  sure 
the  Lord  will  to  the  end  strengthen  him  to 
maintain  the  good  confession.  Thus  Chrj's- 
ostom,  Beza,  Grotius,  De  Wette,  Alford,  Faus- 
set,  and  otliers.  "Experience  brings  hope 
with  it ;  he  who  has  been  so  often  in  peril,  and 
has  been  saved — who  feels,  too,  every  day  the 
Raving  help — can  surely  be  of  good  hope  that 
the  Lord  will  always  save  him."  (Hedinger. ) 
And  will  preserve  me  unto  his  heavenly 
kingdom.  The  Lord's  grace  will  not  fail 
him,  but  in  every  temptation  will  preserve 
him  till  he  reaches  the  heavenly  kingdom. 
This  is  an  assured  hope,  but  it  is  based,  not  on 
his  own  strength,  or  the  maturity  of  his  Chris- 
tian growth,  but  only  on  the  Lord's  l\tithful- 
ness  and  power.  "The  very  hope  produces  a 
doxology;  how  much  greater  the  doxology 
which  the  actual  enjoyment  shall  produce!" 
(Bengel.)  To  whom  be  glory  for  ever  and 
ever.    Amen — a  doxology  to  Citrist,  whicii  in 


Paul  has  the  parallels,  Rom.  9:5;  Heb.  13  : 
21 ;  and  in  other  Scriptures.  See  1  Peter  4  : 
11 ;  2  Peter  3  :  18;  Rev.  1:6.  A  doxology  to 
tiie  Father,  similar  in  form,  is  found  in  Gal. 
1:5;  Phil.  4  :  20;  such  a  doxology  to  any 
mere  created  being  would  surely  be  impious; 
and  its  use,  here  and  elsewhere,  d^'inonstrates 
the  supreme  divinity  of  Christ. 

19-22.  Various  Salutations,  with  a 
Closing  Benediction. 

19.  Salute  Prisca  and  Aquila.  Prisca, 
or  Priscilla,  was  the  wife  of  Aquila,  of  Pontus. 
Paul  met  them  first  at  Corinth,  whither  they 
hjid  come  from  Rome  after  the  decree  of  Clau- 
dius expelling  the  Jews  from  that  city,  and 
where  Paul,  being  of  the  same  trade,  wrouglit 
with  them  at  tent  making.  They  accompa- 
nied him  to  Ephesus,  where,  after  Paul's  de- 
parture, they  met  the  eloquent  Alexandrian, 
ApoUos,  and  "expounded  unto  him  the  way 
of  God  more  perfectly."  (Acts  is :  2,  is,  26.)  When 
the  apostle  wrote  First  Corinthians  they  were 
with  him  at  Ephesus,  where,  it  seems,  they 
had  a  house  of  their  own  and  were  then  resid- 
ing. (1  Cor.  16: 19.)  They  are  afterward  men- 
tioned as  at  Rome  (Rom.  i6:3),  but  must  now 
have  returned  to  Ephesus.  "Here,  also,  as  it 
often  occurs,  Prisca  is  named  before  her  hus- 
band. It  may  perhaps  be  considered  a  proof 
that  she  was  his  superior,  either  as  regards 
character  or  in  respect  to  the  development  of 
her  spiritual  life."  (Van  Oosterzee. )  And  the 
household  of  Onesiphorus,  He  is  men- 
tioned, ch.  1  :  16,  as  having  shown  special 
kindness  to  Paul,  who  invokes  mercy  on  his 
house.  The  supposition  that  Onesiphorus  him- 
self was  dead,  because  Paul  salutes  only  his 
household,  is  wholly  unneces.sary,  since  the 
apostle  may  have  known  that  he  was  then 
absent  from  Ephesus,  and  therefore  omitted 
salutation  to  him.  These  salutations  to  Prisca 
and  Aquila,  and  to  the  house  of  Onesiphorus, 
make  it  well  nigh  certain  that  the  Epistle  was 
directed  to  Timothy  when  at  Ephesus. 

20.  Erastus  abode  (remainrd)  at  Cor- 
inth.   While  Paul  was  in  Ephesus  he  sent  on 


122 


II.  TIMOTHY. 


[Ch.  IV. 


21  Do  thy  diligence  to  come  before  winter.  Eubulus 
greeteth  thee,  and  Pudeus,  and  Linus,  and  Claudia,  and 
all  the  brethren. 

'11  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  thy  spirit.  Grace 
be  with  you.    Aiueu. 


21  I  left  at  Miletus  sick.  Do  thy  diligence  to  come 
before  winter.  Eubulus  saluteth  thee,  and  Pudens, 
and  Linus,  and  Claudia,  and  all  the  brethren. 

22  The  Lord  be  with  thy  spirit.    Grace  be  with  you. 


Erastus  with  Timothy  to  Macedonia  (Acts  is :  22) ; 
and  ill  Rom.  16  :  23  greeting  is  sent  by  an 
Erastus,  described  as  "chamberlain,"  or  finan- 
cial administrator,  of  Corinth.  Probably  the 
latter  is  meant  here,  but  certainty  is  unattain- 
able. But  Trophiinus  have  I  left  at  Mile- 
turn  sick.  He  was  an  Ephesian,  and  had 
accompanied  the  apostle  from  Corinth  to  Jeru- 
salem on  the  third  missionary  journey  (Acts  20 : 
4;  21: 29),  where  his  presence  proved  the  inno- 
cent occasion  of  the  assault  on  Paul  in  the 
temple.  These  notices  plainly  show  that  Paul 
had  lately  been  at  Corinth  and  Miletus — a  fact 
wholly  inconsistent  with  the  writing  of  this 
Epistle  during  the  Roman  imprisonment  re- 
corded in  Acts,  at  which  time  five,  and  prob- 
ably six  years,  must  have  passed  since  he  had 
visited  those  cities.  'Left ...  sick.'  This,  with 
other  instances  of  unhealed  sickness  in  Paul 
himself  and  his  friends,  clearly  shows  that 
miracles  of  healing  were  not  wrought  at  the 
mere  will,  even  of  an  apostle;  they  were 
doubtless  exceptional  manifestations  of  divine 
power,  made  only  as  the  Holy  Spirit  directed 
and  empowered  him  who  performed  them. 

21.  Do  thy  diligence  to  come  before 
winter.  Probably  because  travel  would  then 
be  dangerous,  if  not  impossible,  and  because 
any  delay  might  make  him  too  late  to  see  the 
apostle  before  his  martyrdom.  Voyages  on 
the  Mediterranean  were  not  usually  made  in 
winter,  but  vessels  sought  some  harbor  for 
wintering,  (acu  27  :  9-12.')  Whether  this  last 
wish  of  the  apostle  was  gratified,  and  the  clos- 
ing hours  of  his  life  were  comforted  by  the 
presence  of  his  dearest  earthly  friend,  we  are 
left  wholly  uncertain.  Tradition  states  that 
Paul  suff'ered  martyrdom  in  the  reign  of  Nero, 
who  died  in  June,  A.  D.  68 ;  and  that  his  death 
was  by  decapitation,  outside  the  walls  of  the 
city,  on  the  Via  Ostin,  at  a  spot  now  called 
Tre  Fontane,  not  far  from  which  rises  the 
magnificent  basilica  which  bears  his  name. 


Eubulus  greeteth'thee,  and  Pudens,  and 
Linus,  and  Claudia.  The  persons  here 
named  are  not  otherwise  known,  but  doubt- 
less they  were  Christians  of  distinction  at 
Rome.  Pudens  and  Claudia  have,  on  very 
doubtful  data,  been  identified  as  a  Roman 
noble  and  a  Britisli  princess,  who  were  con- 
verted at  Rome,  were  married,  and  died  in 
the  British  Isles.  (See  Excursus  to  the  Pro- 
legomena on  this  Epistle  in  Alford,  as  also 
note  in  loco  in  Conybeare  and  Howson's  "  Life 
and  Epistles  of  St.  Paul.")  Linus  maj'  possi- 
bly be  the  person  mentioned  by  Irenaeus  as  the 
first  bishop  of  Rome. 

22.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  thy 
spirit.  This  is  personal,  as  the  prayer  of  the 
apostle  for  Timothy.  It  invokes  on  bim  the 
highest  possible  blessing — Christ  abiding  as  an 
ever  manifested  Presence  with  Timotiiy's 
spirit.  (Gal.  6:18;  phiiem.  23.)  The  grace  (of  God) 
be  with  you.  Amen.  Here  in  the  invoca- 
tion he  unites  with  Timothy  those  also  who 
are  with  him,  perhaps  the  church  at  Ephesus; 
and  for  them  the  prayer  invokes  all  that  is 
comprehended  in  the  grace,  or  free  favor,  of 
God,  the  infinite  blessings  of  salvation  and 
eternal  life. 

The  subscription,  "The  second  epistle  unto 
Timothcus,"  etc.,  as  the  subscription  to  other 
epistles,  has  no  authority.  The  statement  in 
it  that  Timothy  was  "ordained  the  first  bishop 
of  the  church  of  the  Ephesians"  is  plainly 
contradicted  by  the  Epistle  itself,  where  he 
ever  appears,  not  as  a  bishop,  but  as  an  evan- 
gelist and  as  an  apostolic  assistant.  Of  a  dio- 
cesan bishop  at  Ephesus,  or  anywhere  else,  the 
New  Testament  furnishes  no  trace;  and  the 
existence  of  such  an  office  in  the  apostolic 
churches  is  an  assumption  at  variance  with 
the  plain  fact  that  in  Scripture  "bishop"  and 
"elder"  are  interchangeable  terms,  designat- 
ing one  and  the  same  office.  See  Acts  20  :  17| 
28;  Titus  1:5-7;  1  Peter  5  :  1,2. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  TITUS. 


SKETCH  OP  THE  LIFE  OP  TITUS. 


The  name  of  Titus  does  not  occur  in  the  Acts  ;  we  know  him  only  from  the  i^pistles. 
To  explain  this,  it  has  been  conjectured  that  Titus  is  the  same  person  as  Silas,  or  Sylvanus. 
To  this,  however,  it  seems  an  insuperable  objection,  that  Silas,  as  a  deputy  from  the 
church  at  Jerusalem  to  the  church  at  Antioch,  was  most  probably  a  Jew,  or,  if  of  Gentile 
origin,  was  at  least  a  circumcised  person  ;  whereas  Titus  was  a  Gentile  and  uncircumcised. 
He  is  commonly  supposed  to  belong  to  Antioch  in  Syria,  and  was  probably  converted 
under  Paul's  ministry,  as  the  apostle  calls  him  his  "own  son  after  the  common  faith." 
(1  :4.)  For  he  went  up  with  Paul  to  Jerusalem,  when  a  delegation  from  Antioch  was 
sent  thither  on  the  question  of  Gentile  circumcision  ;  and  it  was  here  the  apostle  refused 
to  yield  to  the  demand  of  the  Judaizers  for  his  circumcision,  apparently  making  the  case 
of  Titus,  as  an  uncircumcised  Gentile  Christian,  a  test,  the  decision  of  which  would 
plainly  prove  Gentile  freedom  from  the  bondage  of  Judaism.  (Gal  2:1-3.)  Nothing 
further  is  known  of  him  until,  on  Paul's  third  missionary  journey,  during  the  long  resi- 
dence at  Ephesus,  Titus  is  sent  from  that  city  to  Corinth,  to  ascertain  the  state  of  the 
church  there,  and  especially  the  effect  on  them  of  the  apostle's  first  epistle,  sent  to  them 
not  long  before.  He  was  well  received  at  Corinth,  and  his  labors  there  were  productive 
of  much  good.  (2  Cor.  7  :  13-15.)  Paul,  on  leaving  Ephesus,  expected  to  meet  Titus 
at  Troas  ;  and  not  finding  him  there,  in  his  great  anxiety  for  intelligence  from  Corinth,  he 
hastened  to  Macedonia  to  meet  him.  (2  Cor.  2  :  13.)  Thither  at  length  Titus  came,  and, 
reporting  the  condition  of  the  Corinthian  Church,  greatly  relieved  the  apostle's  heart. 
(2  Cor.  7:6,  7. )  Paul  then  wrote  his  second  epistle  to  Corinth,  and,  intrusting  it  to  Titus, 
sent  him  again  to  that  city,  with  "the  brother  whose  praise  is  in  all  the  churches,"  to 
hasten  the  collection  "  for  the  poor  saints  which  are  at  Jerusalem."  (2  Cor.  8  :  6,  16-23.) 
At  what  time  he  went  with  Paul  to  Crete  is  not  fully  settled  ;  but,  as  before  shown,  it  was 
probably  near  the  close  of  Paul's  life.  When  the  apostle  left  the  island,  he  left  Titus 
there  to  complete  the  work  begun,  especially  in  giving  additional  organization  to  the 
churches,  and  correcting  false  tendencies;  and  after  his  departure,  he  wrote  to  him  this 
Epistle,  both  as  attesting  his  authority  to  act  in  the  apostle's  stead,  and  as  directing  Titus 
in  the  responsible  work  committed  to  him.  Whether,  as  the  Epistle  directs,  lie  met  Paul 
the  following  winter  in  Nicopolis,  is  unknown.  The  only  further  notice  of  him  is  in  the 
apostle's  last  epistle.  (2  Tim.  4:10.)  When,  writing  of  his  lonely  position  as  a  prisoner 
in  Home,  he  speaks  of  Titus  as  "departed  to  Dalmatia,"  sent,  as  we  may  hope,  by  the 
apostle  himself  on  some  mission  for  the  gospel. 

Tradition,  as  usual,  has  sought  to  fill  up  the  gaps  of  history,  and,  in  the  hierarchical 
interest,  has  made  him,  "the  first  bishop  of  Crete,"  of  which  the  Epi.stle  furnishes  no 
evidence  whatever.  Alford  well  remarks  :  "  Not  the  slightest  trace  is  found  in  the  p4)istle 
of  any  intention  on  the  part  of  Paul  to  place  Titus  permanently  over  the  Cretan  churches; 

123 


124  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  TITUS. 

indeed,  such  a  view  is  inconsistent  with  the  data  furnished  us  in  it."  The  Epistle  plainly 
represents  him,  as  in  the  case  of  Timothy,  simply  as  an  evangelist;  acting  as  Paul's  assist- 
ant, and  temporarily  left  in  Crete,  in  the  apostle's  place,  to  complete  a  service  which 
Paul  himself  was  not  able  to  finish  by  reason  of  exigencies  calling  him  elsewhere.  Tra- 
dition also  depicts  him,  in  glowing  colors,  as  the  apostle  of  the  gospel  to  Dalmatia,  and  as 
then  taking  up  his  abode  in  Crete,  where  he  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  and  died  in  great 
honor ;  of  all  which  we  have  no  trace  either  in  authentic  history  or  in  archaeological 
remains. 

THE  TIME  AND   OCCASION   OF   WRITING. 

The  date  of  the  Epistle,  as  already  shown,  must  probably  be  placed  about  A.  D.  66,  or 
67,  near  the  close  of  the  apostle's  life.  The  correspondencies  in  style  and  in  the  state  of 
Christianity,  as  seen  in  the  Pastoral  Epistles,  compel  us  to  refer  them  to  the  same  period. 
Where  it  was  written,  remains  uncertain  ;  it  is  variously  referred  to  Macedonia  and  to 
Ephesus. 

The  island  of  Crete,  or  Candia,  covers  the  southern  entrance  of  the  Archipelago,  ex- 
tending in  length  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  from  Cape  Salmone,  on  the  east,  to 
Cape  Criumetopoti,  on  the  west ;  but  in  width  varying  from  six  to  thirty-five  miles.  It 
is  rocky  and  mountainous,  with  fertile  valleys,  producing  cotton,  olives,  grapes,  oranges, 
lemons,  silk,  and  wool.  The  lofty  form  of  Mount  Ida  appears  about  the  middle  of  the 
island,  rising  to  the  height  of  seven  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy-four  feet. 
Anciently  Crete  was  crowded  with  cities  and  covered  with  a  dense  population,  estimated 
at  one  million  two  hundred  thousand.  At  present,  its  chief  city  is  Candia,  and  the  whole 
population  of  the  island  is  about  two  hundred  and  ten  thousand. 

Crete  is  celebrated  in  ancient  mythology  especially  as  the  place  where  Jupiter  was 
born  and  buried.  In  the  Trojan  war,  Idomeneus,  king  of  Crete,  embarked  his  troops  in 
a  fleet  of  eighty  vessels,  and  led  them  in  the  long  conflict.  At  a  later  period  its  chief 
cities  became  centres  of  little  republics.  The  Cretan  constitution  and  laws,  originated  by 
Minos,  are  said  to  have  been  the  model  from  which  many  features  of  the  constitution 
and  laws  of  Lycurgus  were  derived.  The  island  was  subjected  to  Rome  by  Metellus, 
B.  0.  67,  and,  at  the  time  of  Paul,  was  united  to  Cyrenaica.  on  the  African  coast  oppo- 
site, forming  one  Roman  province.  In  Paul's  voyage  to  Rome,  the  vessel,  sailing  round 
Cape  Salmone  and  under  the  lee  of  the  island,  reached  Fair  Havens,  a  harbor  near  the 
city  of  Lasea  ;  and  then,  loosing  thence,  it  attempted  to  reach  Phenice,  a  port  near  the 
western  end  of  the  island.  Rut  a  typhoon,  rushing  furiously  down  from  Mount  Ida, 
drove  the  ship  out  to  sea,  and  after  many  days  it  grounded,  a  hopeless  wreck,  on  the 
coast  of  Malta.  The  circumstances  of  Paul  on  this  voyage  plainly  forbid  the  supposition 
that  he  performed  much,  if  any,  evangelical  labor  in  Crete  at  this  time. 

Philo  and  Josephus  both  testify  to  the  large  number  of  Jews  in  Crete.  Some  of 
these  were  present  in  Jerusalem  at  the  Pentecost,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  was  given,  and 
these  received  the  gospel.  It  seems  probable,  therefore,  that  Christianity  had  been 
introduced  into  the  island  from  this  source  before  the  visit  of  Paul.  The  gospel  thus 
brought,  however,  would  be  in  a  very  imperfect  form,  mixed  with  much  misconception 
and  error;  and,  coming  through  a  wholly  Jewish  channel,  the  errors  would  be  largely 
Jewish  in  character.  Christianity,  as  thus  introduced,  would  also  be  very  imperfectly 
organized.  The  apostle,  at  his  coming,  would  naturally  seek  to  remedy  these  defects  by 
a  more  complete  unfolding  of  the  gospel  and  a  more  perfect  organization  of  the  churches. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  TITUS.  125 


But  the  character  of  the  Cretans,  and  especially  of  the  Cretan  Jews,  rendered  the  task 
one  of  great  difficulty.  As  a  people  they  were  noted  for  their  fickleness,  avarice,  sensu- 
ality, licentiousness,  and  mendacity  ;  and  they  are  thus  ciiaracterized  by  even  the  heat  lien 
writers  of  that  period.  For  some  reason  Paul  is  compelled  to  leave  while  in  the  midst 
of  the  work,  and  the  difficult  and  delicate  task  of  completing  it  was  devolved  on  Titus 
Consequently,  the  apostle,  after  his  departure,  writes  this  Ej)istle,  at  once  to  certify  the 
authority  of  Titus  as  acting  in  the  apostle's  place  in  the  superintendence  of  tlie  work  in 
Crete,  and  to  give  explicit  directions  to  him  respecting  the  manner  of  performing  the 
duties  of  his  position.  In  this,  as  in  the  Epistles  to  Timothy,  the  subjects  treated  belong 
for  the  most  part,  to  all  ages,  and  have  therefore  a  universal  interest  and  importance.' 
The  Epistle  was  probably  sent  by  the  hands  of  Zenas  and  ApoUos,  to  whom  it  served  as 
a  letter  of  introduction  and  commendation.  (3  :  13.)  Some,  as  Hofmann,  resrard  this  as 
the  primary  occasion  of  sending  it ;  but,  as  these  persons  are  not  mentioned  till  the  close 
of  the  Epistle,  and  then  only  in  a  single  verse,  it  seems  more  natural  to  think  that  Paul 
was  moved  to  write  it  by  the  needs  of  Titus  and  the  Cretan  Christians,  and  simply 
availed  himself  of  the  journey  of  Zenas  and  Apollos  as  a  favoring  opportunity  to  send  it 
to  the  island. 

THE  CONTENTS. 

Like  the  other  Pastoral  Epistles,  this  is  a  personal,  familiar  letter,  and  is  without 
formal  plan.     The  leading  topics  occur  in  the  following  order  : 

Chapter  First— KMvess  and  greeting  (1-4)  ;  directions  to  Titus  as  to  church  order, 
particularly  the  qualifications  of  elders  (10-1 G)  ;  the  Cretan  false  teachers  described  (5-9). 

Chapter  Second.— Tiins,  is  instructed  how  to  apply  the  gospel  to  different  classes  in 
the  church,  as  the  aged,  the  young,  and  the  slaves  (1-10)  ;  the  ground  of  the  foregoing 
exhortations  to  holy  living  is  shown  in  that  the  grace  of  God  has  for  its  end  the 
sanctification  of  men  (11-15). 

Chapter  Third. — The  conduct  to  be  required  of  Christians  toward  rulers  and  society 
in  general  (1,  2) ;  the  duty  of  showing  such  disposition  and  conduct  toward  others  is 
enforced  and  illustrated  by  God's  kindness  and  mercy  to  us  (3-7) ;  the  doctrine  of  a 
gratuitous  salvation  is  to  be  insisted  on  in  order  to  incite  believers  to  good  works  (8-11) ; 
closing  directions  and  salutations,  with  the  benediction  (12-15.) 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  TITUS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


PAUL,  a  servant  of  God,  and  an  apostle  of  Jesus 
Christ,  according  to  the  faith  of  God's  elect,  and 
the  acknowledging  of  the  truth  which  is  after  godli- 
ness; 

2  In  hope  of  eternal  life,  which  God,  that  cannot  lie, 
promised  before  the  world  began  ; 


1  Paul,  a  1  servant  of  God,  and  an  apostle  of  Jesus 
Christ,  according  to  the  faith  of  God's  elect,  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth  which  is  according  to  godli- 

2  ness,  in  hope  of  eternal  life,  which  God,  who  caiiuot 


1  Qy.  bondtervant. 


Ch.  1  :  1-4.  ADDRKS8  AND  SALUTATION. 
— 1.  After  announcing  himself  as  a  servant  of 
God  and  an  apostle  of  Christ,  he  states  that 
the  object  of  his  apostleship  is  to  bring  God's 
elect  to  the  faith  and  to  the  full  knowledge  of 
the  truth  which  leads  to  piety.  U-)  2.  This 
object  he  prosecutes  in  view  of  the  hope,  for 
himself  and  all  believers,  of  eternal  life,  which 
God,  who  cannot  prove  false,  promised  in 
Christ  before  eternal  ages,  but  manifested  in 
his  own  appointed  times  through  preaching; 
which  preacliing,  the  apostle  declares,  was 
intrusted  to  him  by  the  appointment  of  God. 
(2,  3.)  3.  Addressing  Titus  as  his  true  child 
in  virtue  of  a  common  faith,  he  invokes  on 
him  grace  and  peace  from  God  and  Christ.   (4. ) 

1.  Paul  a  servant  of  God — an  expression 
not  elsewhere  used  by  the  apostle  in  opening  his 
epistles,  the  more  usual  form  being  "  a  ser- 
vant of  Jesus  Christ "  ;  the  fact  may,  perhaps, 
serve  to  attest  the  genuineness  of  the  Epistle, 
since  a  forger  would  not  be  likely  to  depart 
from  Paul's  method  in  so  conspicuous  a  place. 
And  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ— present- 
ing tiie  special  office  and  work  of  Paul  as  an 
apostle  in  distinction  from  his  general  posi- 
tion as  a  servant.  According  to  the  faith 
of  God's  elect  and  the  acknowledging 
(knowledge)  of  the  truth,  which  is  after 
godliness — "with  a  view  to  subserve  the 
faith  of  God's  elect."  Compare  Eom.  1:5: 
"for  obedience  to  the  faith."  Here  the  ob- 
ject of  the  apostleship  is  stated:  it  is  to  bring 
God's  chosen  to  the  faith  and  to  the  full  knowl- 
edge of  tliat  truth  which  leads  to  godliness. 
(Acts  13: 48;  18:9, 10.)  This,  vvhich  was  pre-emi- 
nently the  end  of  the  apostolic  office,  is  the 
grand  end  of  the  ministry;  for  preaching  is 
God's  appointed  means  of  faith.  (Rom.  lo ;  u-n  j 
1  Cor.  1 : 21-24.)  'God's  elcct,'  or,  "the  chosen 
of   God."     "Acts  13  :  48  shows  this  — that' 


election  is  not  in  consequence  of  fuith,  but 
faith  in  consequence  of  election.  Comi)are 
Eph.  1  :  4."  (Ellicott.)  Though  God's  elect, 
their  election  only  attains  its  end  "through 
sanctification  of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of  the 
truth"  (2  Thess.  2 :  13)  ;  and  hence  the  gospel 
must  be  proclaimed,  and  they  must  believe, 
in  order  to  be  saved  (2  xim.  2 :  10).  The  truth 
is  'after  (or,  according)  to  godliness' — that  is, 
it  is  not  merely  abstract,  theoretical ;  but  has 
a  moral  aim,  leading  men  to  practical  godli- 
ness. It  is  not  a  mere  philosophy,  but  a  spir- 
itual power,  purifying  and  uplifting  the  life. 
2.  In  hope  of  eternal  life— "lie  fulfills 
his  task  with  or  in  hope  of  eternal  life."  That 
which  he  has  in  view  in  prosecuting  the  work 
of  his  apostleship  is  the  hope,  for  himself  and 
for  all  believers,  of  eternal  life.  This  is  the 
glorious  goal  set  before  him,  and  which,  in 
leading  men  to  faith  and  the  full  knowledge 
of  the  truth,  he  sets  before  them— eternal  life 
secured  in  Christ.  Faith  and  knowledge,  in 
his  view,  "  rested  on  a  background  of  promise 
and  hope,  which,  in  a  manner,  stretched  from 
eternity  to  eternity,  having  God's  primeval 
promise  for  its  origin,  and  a  participation  in 
his  everlasting  life  for  an  end."  (Pairbairn.) 
Which  (eternal  life)  God  that  cannot  lie, 
promised  before  the  world  began  {eternal 
times) — that  is,  as  2  Tim.  1  :  9,  before  the 
cycles,  or  ages,  through  which  the  world  has 
passed,  commenced  ;  or  in  eternity,  before 
time  began.  'Cannot  lie' — a  single  word  in 
the  Greek  (ai/zevJi)?),  added  to  heighten  the 
certainty  of  the  result,  as  Heh.  6  :  18 ;'  com- 
pare Rom.  3:4;  11  :  29;  1  Cor.  1  :  9.  The 
unchanging  truth  of  God  is  the  foundation  of 
all  hope.  Promised  before  eternnf  fitnes—aa 
"chosen  in  Christ  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world"  (Eph.  1:4),  God  gave  the  elect,  in  sol- 
emn promise,  to  Christ  as  his  redeemed  people 

127 


128 


TITUS. 


[Ch.  L 


3  But  hath  in  due  times  manifested  his  word 
through  preaching,  which  is  committed  uato  me  ac- 
cording to  the  commandment  of  God  our  Saviour; 

4  To  'litus,  7rtt«e  own  son  after  the  common  faith: 
Grace,  mercy,  and  peace,  from  God  the  Father  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour. 


3  lie,  promised  i  before  times  eternal ;  but  in  2  his  own 
seasons  manifested  his  word  in  the  3  message  where- 
with 1  was  intrusted   according   to  the  command- 

4  ment  of  (iod  our  Saviour;  to  Titus,  my  true  child 
after  a  common  faith:  Grace  and  peace  from  God 
the  Father  and  Christ  Jesus  our  Saviour. 


1  Or,  long  ages  ago. 


.2  Or,  its 3  Oi't  proclamation. 


and  as  co-inheritors  with  him  of  eternal  life. 
(John 6: 39;  10:29;  17:2,6,8, 11.)  This  promise,  made 
to  Christ  in  eternity  is  assured  by  the  un- 
changing faithfulness  of  God  ;  and  resting  on 
it  as  an  absolute  certainty,  the  apostle  prose- 
cuted his  apostolic  work,  and  to  that  promise 
directed  the  faith  and  hope  of  men.  "If  in- 
deed Christ  be  '  the  chosen  of  God,'  the  Surety 
and  Representative  of  '  all  who  were  given  to 
him'  (Johu6:36-40;  17:1-3),  eternal  life  was  prom- 
ised to  him  'before  the  world  was,'  in  conse- 
quence of  his  engagement  to  become  incarnate 
and  to  be  obedient  even  to  the  death  of  the 
cross."  (Scott.)  Others  explain  it  as  "a 
contracted  expression  for  ''purposed  before 
the  world  began'  (literally,  before  the  ages 
of  time),  and  pt-onused  actually  in  time,  the 
promise  springing  from  the  eternal  purpose." 
(Fausset.)  Thus,  also,  Alford  and  most  in- 
terpreters. 

3.  But  hath  in  due  times  manifested 
his  word  through  preaching— or,  mani- 
fested in  his  own  (appointed)  times  his  word 
in  the  proclamation.  (Actsi  :7;  i  Tim. 6:  i5.)  His 
word  of  promise  of  eternal  life,  made  to  Christ 
before  eternal  ages  and  hid  through  those  ages 
in  the  mystery  of  the  divine  counsels,  God 
manifested,  published,  in  his  own  appointed 
times,  "when  the  fulness  of  time  was  coine  " 
— that  is,  in  the  Gospel  Dispensation.  "  Here 
again  we  have  the  same  antithesis  between  the 
period  of  the  revealed  and  the  hidden  mys- 
tery, as  in  Rom.  16  :  2-5;  Eph.  3  :  5.  The 
time  of  this  revelation  is  that  which  God  fixed 
and  arranged  in  his  own  wisdom.  See,  also, 
1  Tim.  2  :  6;  Gal.  4:  4."  (Van  Oosterzee.) 
Which  is  committed  unto  me.  The  proc- 
lamation, or  preaching,  with  which  Paul  was 
charged,  was  the  vehicle,  or  medium,  through 
which  this  great  promise  of  eternal  life  in 
Christ  was  manifested  or  published.  The  pro- 
claiming of  this  he  everywhere  regards  as  his 
special  trust  from  God.  See  Acts  20:  24;  1 
Cor.  9  :  16,  17;  2  Cor.  5  :  18-20;  Gal.  1  :  15, 
10;  1  Titn.  1  :  11.  According  to  the  com- 
mandment of  God  our  Saviour.    He  did 


not  preach  on  his  own  authority,  but  as  one 
intrusted  with  a  proclamation  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  God.  '  God  our  Saviour' — probably 
God  the  Father,  according  to  the  prevailing 

Pauline  usage.  (l  Tim.  1:1;  2:3;  Titus  2:10;  3:4; 
Jude  25.) 

4.  To  Titus,  mine  own  son  after  the 
common  faith — or,  in  virtue  of  a  common 
faith.  'Mine  own,'  genuine.  (iTim. i:2.)  He 
was  Paul's  genuine  son;  by  virtue,  not  of 
fleshly  relationship,  but  of  their  sharing  in  a 
common  faith.  He  was  Paul's  spiritual  ciiild, 
probably-  as  having  been  led  to  Christ  by  him 
and  as  having  thus  been  made  a  sharer  of  his 
faith.  Ci  Cor.  4: 15;  piiiiem.io.)  Titus  was  a  Gen- 
tile; and  in  'common  faith'  there  is  possibly 
allusion  to  the  higher  bond  of  unity  \>y  Avhich 
this  common  faith  in  Christ  bound  them, 
though  one  was  a  Jew  and  the  other  a  Gen- 
tile. (Gal.  5:  6;  Col.  3:11.)  Grace,  mcrcy,  and 
peace.  'Mercy,'  which  occurs  in  the  other 
Pastoral  Epistles,  is  probably  to  be  omitted 
here,  as  it  is  wanting  in  the  Sinaitic,  Eph- 
raem,  and  other  ancient  codices,  as  also  in 
important  versions.  It  was  probably  interpo- 
lated to  conform  the  passage  to  the  others. 
(1  Tim.  1 :2;  2Tim.  1 : 3.)  It  is  found,  howevcr,  in 
the  Alexandrian  Codex.  From  God  the 
Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  our 
Saviour.  '  Our  Saviour,'  used  here  only  of 
Christ  in  an  invocation,  though  often  applied 
to  him  in  other  relations.  "He  applies  the 
same  epithet.  Saviour,  to  the  Father  and  to 
Christ,  inasmuch  as  certainly  each  of  them  is 
our  Saviour,  but  for  a  different  reason ;  for 
the  Father  is  our  Saviour  because  he  redeemed 
us  by  the  death  of  his  Son,  that  he  might  make 
us  heirs  of  eternal  life;  but  the  Son,  because 
he  shed  his  blood  as  the  pledge  and  price  of 
our  salvation.  Thus  the  Son  has  brought  to 
us  salvation  from  the  Father,  and  the  Father 
has  bestowed  it  through  the  Son."     (Calvin.) 

5-9.  The  Appointment  of  Elders; 
Qualifications  to  be  Required  in  them. 
— 1.  The  apostle's  purpose  in  leaving  Titus  in 
Crete;    it  was  that  he  should  further  set  in 


Ch.  L] 


TITUS. 


129 


5  For  this  cause  left  I  thee  in  Crete,  that  thou 
slioiilJest  set  in  order  the  thiugs  that  are  wanting,  and 
ordain  elders  in  every  city,  as  I  had  appoiuud  ihee : 


For  this  cause  left  I  thee  in  Crete,  that  ihou 
shouldest  set  in  or(ii.-r  tlie  things  that  were  wanting, 
and   appoint  elders  iu  every  city,  as   1  gave  lliue 


order  the  churches,  especially  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  elders.  (6.)  2.  He  prescribes  the 
qualiticatii)ns  which  must  be  required  in 
elders,  mentioning  (a)  the  moral,  or  those 
pertaining  to  the  character  and  life,  and  (6) 
tlie  doctrinal,  insisting  especially  on  adher- 
ence to  the  sure,  divinely  taught  word  as 
necessary  alike  in  exhorting  believers  and  in 
convicting  opposers.     (6-9.) 

5.  For  this  cause  left  I  thee  in  Crete. 
This  large  and  populous  island,  the  southern- 
most in  the  Grecian  Archipelago,  is  now  called 
Candia.  Paul  had  labored  here  with  Titus, 
but  being  obliged  to  leave,  perhaps  by  the 
urgency  of  work  in  other  fields,  he  left  his 
assistant  in  the  island  to  carry  to  completion 
tlie  work  they  had  begun.  Of  the  time  when 
this  occurred  we  have  no  information  ;  but  as 
no  allusion  is  made  in  the  Acts  to  this  visit  to 
Crete,  and  as  the  style  of  the  Epistle  and  the 
general  circumstances  indicated  in  it  corre- 
spond in  a  remsirkable  manner  to  the  First 
Epistle  to  Timothy,  it  must  probably  be  re- 
ferred to  the  same  period,  perhaps  about  a.  d. 
613  or  67.  'Left  I  thee'  (behind).  The  ex- 
pression does  not  imply  the  permanence  of 
Titus'  position  there,  but  the  reverse;  and 
lends,  therefore,  no  sanction  to  the  tradition 
that  Titus  was  "first  bishop  of  the  church  of 
the  Cretians,"  a  wholly  unfounded  assump- 
tion. In  fact,  Titus  was  to  remain  there  only 
till  the  coming  fall  or  winter,  and  then  come 
to  Paul  at  Nicopolis  (s:'^),  from  which  last 
place  he  probably  accompanied  the  apostle  to 
Homo,  and  thence  went,  not  to  Crete  again, 
but  to  Dalmatia  (2Tiin.  4:10).  There  is  no  evi- 
dence whatever,  in  or  out  of  Scripture,  that 
Titus  was  ever  again  in  Crete.  That  thou 
shouldest  (further)  set  in  order  the  thin§;s 
that  are  wanting.  Christianity  had  prob- 
ably been  introduced  on  the  island  a  number 
of  years  before.  Some  Cretans  had  been 
present  at  the  Pentecost.  (Acts2:n  )  Paul  had 
stopped  in  Crete  on  his  voyage  to  Rome  (Acts 
■27:8,9.)  It  is  likely,  therefore,  that  Christians 
were  living  there;  but  the  gospel,  received  in 
this  incidental  way,  must  have  been  very 
imperfectly  understood.  The  churches,  in 
their  doi-trinal  knowledge.  Christian  life,  and 
church  organization,  must  have  been  far  from 


complete,  and  must  have  required  much  addi- 
tional instruction  and  training.  This  work 
Paul  had  bt-gun,  but,  being  called  away,  had 
left  Titus  behind  to  carry  to  completion. 

And  ordain  {appoint)  elders  in  every  city. 
This  was  one  of  tlie  "things  that  were  want- 
ing." There  were  Christian  assemblies,  doubt- 
less with  incipient  forms  of  organization;  but 
the  churches  needed  to  be  fully  organized  and 
officered.  The  gospel  becomes  a  permanent 
and  aggressive  power  on  earth  only  through 
the  church,  the  divinely  constituted  organiza- 
tiim,  to  which  God  lias  committed  it,  and 
through  which  it  is  appointed  to  act  on  men. 
The  pietism  which,  in  the  professed  interest  of 
spiritual  religion,  undervalues  the  outward 
institutions  of  the  gospel,  finds  no  sanction  in 
Scripture ;  on  the  contrary,  the  church,  with 
its  heaven-given  ministry  and  ordinances, 
there  stands  in  the  foreground  as  God's  agency 
for  the  conservation  of  his  truth  and  the  con- 
version   of    the    world.       (M.at.  IS:  IS-U;   Actsl4:S!3; 

Eph.  4:11,  12;  1  Tim.  3:15.)  'Ordain  cldcrs.'  The 
word  ordain  here  does  not  signify,  as  it  is  now 
technically  used,  to  set  apart  for  the  ministry 
by  an  ordaining  service,  but  simply  to  insti- 
tute, appoint.  How  the  elders  were  selected 
is  not  stated.  In  Acts  6  :  3,  the  selection  of 
the  Seven  was  made  by  the  whole  body  of  the 
disciples,  and  the  appointment,  or  public  set- 
ting apart  to  the  office,  was  by  the  apostle.s. 
Thus  also  in  Acts  14  :  23,  Paul  and  Barnabas 
"ordained  them  elders  in  every  church," 
where  the  word  rendered  ordained  denotes 
"to  appoint  by  causing  to  stretch  forth  the 
hand,"  and  the  meaning,  according  to  Alford, 
Lange,  Alexander.  Barnes,  and  all  the  early 
English  versions,  is  "ordained  them  elders  by 
election  in  every  congregation."  In  all  cases 
of  the  appointment  of  church  officers  in  the 
New  Testament,  so  far  as  the  process  is  indi- 
cated, the  selection  was  made  by  the  whole 
body  of  believers,  and  the  formal  setting  apart 
was  the  function  of  the  ministry,  (acu  i  :  15.26; 
I  Cor.  16:3.)  'In  cvpry  city,'  or,  city  by  city. 
Here  was  no  diocesan  episcopacy,  but  the 
church  in  every  city  has  its  own  body  of 
elders,  each  of  whom  is  called  in  ver.  7  bishop 
(eTTiVKOTroO-  As  I  had  appointed  thee— re- 
ferring to  directions  orally  given  before  the 


130 


TITUS. 


[Ch.  T. 


G  If  any  be  blameless,  the  husband  of  one  wife,  hav- 
ing faithful  children  not  accused  of  riot  or  unruly. 

7  For  a  bishop  must  be  blameless,  as  the  steward  of 
(iod;  not  selfwilied,  not  soon  angry,  not  given  to  wine, 
no  striker,  not  given  to  filthy  lucre  ; 


6  charge;  if  any  man  is  blameless,  the  husband  of 
one  wife,  having  children  that  believe,  who  are  not 

7  accused  of  riot  or  unruly.  For  the  i  bishop  must  be 
blameless,  as  God's  steward;  not  selfwilied,  not  soon 
angry,  i  no  brawler,  no  striker,  not  greedy  of  filthy 


1  Or,  overseer 2  Or,  not  quarrelsome  over  wine. 


apostle  left  Crete.  These  directions  required 
him  not  only  to  appoint  elders  in  every  city, 
but  also  to  see  that  only  persons  of  suitable 
character  were  appointed,  men  possessing  the 
qualitications  here  mentioned.  It  is  evident 
from  this  tliat  not  only  were  churches  of  divine 
institution,  but  also  their  organization  took 
form  in  accordance  with  express  divine  direc- 
tions.     (I  Cor.  4  :  17;    7  :  17 ;    1   Tim.  3  :  1-7.)      Plainly, 

therefore,  in  the  absence  of  inspired  authori- 
zation of  change,  the  constitution  and  order  of 
the  church,  with  its  ministry  and  ordinances, 
remain  the  same  as  instituted  by  the  apostles, 
and  are  of  permanent  obligation. 

6.  If  any  be  blameless — unaccused,  and 
giving  no  occasion  for  accusation,  (i  Tim.  3 :  10.) 
Moral  qualifications  are  made  in  the  New 
Testament  of  pre-eminent  moment  in  the  can- 
didate for  the  ministry,  because  religious  power 
depends  on  these.  (1  Tim.  3 :  7.)  "This  first 
word  shows  what  in  the  apostle's  estimate  was 
mainly  to  be  looked  to;  it  is  the  moral  estima- 
tion in  wliich  the  person  to  be  selected  was 
held,  the  reputation  which  he  had  among  men, 
on  which  above  all  he  lays  stress.  For  an  effi- 
cient discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  office  can 
be  conceived  of  only  on  the  .supposition  of  a 
good  reputation."  (Wiesinger. )  The  hus- 
band of  one  wife — not  having  more  than 
one  living  wife;  of  irreproachable  marital  re- 
lations. See  note  1  Tim.  3 :  2.  Having  faith- 
ful children — that  is,  those  that  are  not  only 
Christians,  but  are  also  orderlj'',  consistent 
Christians,  as  the  following  context  suggests. 
"Having  a  family  well  governed  and  well 
trained  in  religion."  Not  accused  of  riot 
or  unruly — or,  loko  (the  children)  are  not 
under   accusation  of  profligacy,  or  of  living 

riotously.       (Luke  15  :  13  ;    Kph.  5  :  18;  1  Peter  4:4.)       '  Or 

unruly' — disobedient  to  parents,  or  to  consti- 
tuted authority.  On  this  qualification  in  the 
presbyter's  family,  see  1  Tim.  3  :  4.  Inability 
to  train  and  govern  a  family  creates  a  pre- 
sumption of  inability  to  train  and  govern  the 
church. 

7.  For — reason  for  the  above  qualifications 


in  the  fact  that  he  is  God's  steward.  The 
bishop — or,  overseer.  He  who  is  here  called 
bishop  (tirto-Kojro?)  is  plainly'  one  of  those  called 
elders  (npea-^vrepoi.)  in  ver.  5,  the  latter  being 
the  Hebrew  and  the  former  the  Greek  desig- 
nation of  the  one  oflBcer.  See  the  two  words 
used  interchangeably  also.  (Acts  20:17,28;  i  Peter 
5:1,2.)  "Hence  it  is  evident  they  named  the 
presbyters  bishops."  (Theodoret.)  'Bishop' 
—  "here  most  plainly  identified  with  the  pres- 
byters spoken  of  before."  (Alford.)  Must  be 
blameless  as  the  steward  of  God — that  is, 
because  he  is  God's  steward.  The  pastor,  as 
proclaiming  the  divine  offers  of  mercy,  is  a 
dispenser  of  God's  rich  grace  to  men,  and  a 
minister  for  God  in  the  church.  Standing  in 
a  position  so  exalted  and  responsible,  the  na- 
ture of  his  office  requires  that  he  be  unaccused 

and     UnaCCUSable.        (Heb.  3  :  2-6;    1    Peter    4  :   10.    17.) 

"The  greater  the  Master  is,  the  greater  should 
be  his  servant's  virtues."  (Bengel.)  'Stew- 
ard'— one  appointed  by  God  over  his  house  or 
family,  the  church.  For  the  pastor,  though 
chosen  by  the  church,  is  not  merely  the  ser- 
vant of  the  church,  but  receives  his  appoint- 
ment from  God;  and  is  'the  steward  of  God,' 
acting  in  his  office  by  divine  authoritj',  and 
dispensing  from  God  the  bread  of  life  to  the 

people.       (Luke  12:42;  1  Cor.  4:  1,2;   1  Tim.  3:  15.)      N<lt 

selfwilied — not  arbitrary,  one  who  insists  on 
having  his  own  way.  (2  1  etpr2:io.)  "Describ- 
ing a  self-loving  spirit,  which  in  seeking  only 
to  gratify  itself  is  regardless  of  others."  (Elli- 
cott.)  Not  soon  angry— not  irascible,  quick 
tempered,  hasty  in  anger.  Not  given  to 
wine — literally,  not  with  wine.  In  a  second- 
ary sense,  one  under  the  influence  of  wine,  and 
then,  one  who  acts  vfith  violence  induced  by 
wine;  a  brawler.  The  word,  if  not  absolutely 
prohibitory  of  wine,  certainly  requires  tem- 
perance in  the  use  of  it.  No  striker — a  vio- 
lent man,  one  given  to  acts  of  bodily  violence. 
Not  given  to  filthy  lucre— not  one  who 
would  use  the  office  for  the  accumulation  of 

wealth,  or  "filthy  lucre."  (Ver.  U;  1  Tlm.6:5;  1 
Peter  5  :  7.) 


Ch.  I] 


TITUS. 


131 


8  But  a  lover  of  hospitality,  a  lover  of  good  men, 
sober,  just,  holy,  teiuperale: 

9  HuMiug  f.i.st  the  faithful  word  as  he  hath  been 
taught,  that  lie  luay  be  able  by  sound  ductriue  both  to 
exhort  iiud  to  convince  the  gainsayers. 


8  lucre;   but   givon   to  hospitality,  a  lover  of  good, 

9  soberuiiuded,  just,  holy,  temperate;  holiling  to  the 
faithful  word  which  is  accoidiiig  to  the  tcucliing, 
that  be  may  be  able  both  to  exiiort  in  the  'souna 
'doctrine,  and  to  convict  the  gainsayers. 


1  Gr.  keaUh/iU 2  Ur,  teaching. 


8.  But  a  lover  of  hospitality.    He  now 

pusses  to  the  positive  qualities  required  in  a 
pastor;  and  first  hospitable,  as  over  against 
the  narrow,  sordid  spirit  wliicii  would  grudge 
the  expense  of  hospitality — a  service  specially 
necessary  in  that  age,  when  the  Christian  trav- 
eler was  exposed  to  peculiar  diificulties  and 
dangers,  and  a  duty,  therefore,  which  was 
often  insisted  on.  See  Rom.  12  :  13 ;  1  Tim. 
3  :  2;  Heb.  13  :  2;  1  Peter  4:9:3  John  5. 
A  lover  of  good  men — including,  probably, 
all  goodness,  wherever  found,  whether  in  men 
or  in  deeds  and  things.  (Phii.4:8,9.)  Sober- 
having  a  sound,  well-balanced  mind,  espe- 
cially in  practical  '  life ;  "discreet,"  "self- 
restrained."  Just — righteous,  just  as  related 
to  men;  "upright  in  his  dealings  with  all.  A 
minister  can  do  little  good  who  is  not." 
(Barnes.)  Holy — devoted  io  God, pure.  The 
three  words,  sober,  just,  holy,  present  the  three 
sides  of  human  duty — duty  to  one's  self,  duty 
to  men,  and  duty  to  God;  in  all  of  these  the 
ministi-r  is  to  show  himself  a  true  man.  Com- 
pare ch.  2  :  12,  where  the  three  sides  of  life  and 
character  are  siinilarly  presented  in  the  re- 
quirements to  "live  soberly  and  righteously' 
and  godly."  Temperate — or,  self-restrnined ; 
men  who  hold  under  control  their  bodily  appe- 
tites and  passions;  it  refers  not  to  chastity 
alone,  but  self-restraint  in  all  things,  (i  cor.  9:25.) 
Compare  on  this  catalogue  of  qualifications 
for  the  ministry,  1  Tim.  3  :  2-7,  where  the  list 
is  almost  identical. 

9.  Holding  fast— holding  as  against  oppo- 
sition, adhering  to  it,  notwithstanding  tempta- 
tion to  abandon  it.  (Matt.  6: 2t.)  The  faithful 
word — tiie  trustworthy  word,  the  word  de- 
serving   of    confidence.       (l  Tm.  l  :  IS;  S:  l;  4:9;  2 

Tim.  2:2;  3:8.)  As  he  hath  bccn  taught— or, 
according  to  the  teaching — that  is,  the  word 
which  accords  with  the  inspired  teaching,  the 
gospel  as  taught  by  the  apostles.  (2Tim.  i:i3; 
•< :  '♦•)  That  he  may  be  able  by  sound  doc- 
trine (teaching)  both  to  exhort  and  to  con- 
vince the  gainsayers.  The  apostle  has  in 
view  the  twofold  duty  of  the  pastor:  first,  to 
exhort  believers,   which  exhortation  is  to  be 


tw— that  is,  in  the  sphere  of  sound  doctrine,  as 
its  element;  and  second,  to  reason  with  and 
convict  opposers.  The  ability  of  the  minister 
for  both  these  functions  depends  on  his  per- 
sonal adherence  to  the  gospel  as  taught  by  the 
apostles.  In  this  he  is  to  stand  fast.  "He  is 
the  true  bishop  who  holds  the  true  faith,  and 
who  properly  uses  his  knowledge  to  edify  the 
people,  and  check  the  wantonness  of  the  adver- 
saries."    (Calvin.) 

Note :  The  qualifications  for  the  sacred  office 
here  required  are,  first,  a  sound  moral  charac- 
ter, healthy  and  symmetrical  in  its  develop- 
ment, and  strong  in  all  the  Christian  virtues; 
and,  second,  a  clear  understanding  and  firm 
conviction  of  the  Christian  doctrines,  with  re- 
quisite ability  and  earnestness  in  teaching 
them.  Without  these  qualifications,  no  man 
ought  to  be  admitted  to  the  ministry.  It  is 
the  solemn  duty  of  the  church  in  electing  to 
the  ministerial  office,  and  of  the  ordaining 
presbytery  in  setting  apart  to  it,  to  ascertain 
the  tliorough  soundness  of  the  candidate  in 
character  and  life,  as  well  as  in  creed.  No 
intellectual  power  or  pulpit  brilliancy  can 
atone  for  the  lack  of  solid  Christian  virtues 
and  a  blameless  life. 

10-16.  Necessity  of  Such  Qualifica- 
tions IN  THE  Pastors  shown  from  thk 
Character  of  the  False  Teachers  and 
OF  the  Cretans  in  General. — 1.  Many 
men  have  arisen  who  are  insubordinate,  vain- 
talkers,  and  deceivers,  chiefly  among  pro- 
fessed converts  from  Judaism,  and  who  must 
be  silenced,  since,  by  their  false  teaching,  they 
are  subverting  whole  families,  for  the  sake  of 
base  gain.  (10,  11.)  2.  The  Cretans  are,  in 
their  general  character,  mendacious,  brutal, 
and  gluttonous,  as  he  shows  by  the  testimony 
of  one  of  their  own  reputed  prophets,  whiih 
testimony  he  confirms  as  true  :  Titus  is,  there- 
fore, to  correct  the  people  with  severity,  that 
they  may  possess  moral  health  by  means  of 
the  faith,  and  may  not  give  heed  to  Jewi.sh 
fables,  and  the  commandments  of  men  who 
turn  away  from  the  truth.  (12-14.)  3.  A% 
these   commandments  of   men   enforced   the 


132 


TITUS. 


[Ch.  I. 


10  For  there  are  many  unruly  and  vain  talkers  and 
deceivers,  specially  they  ol'  the  circumcision: 

11  Whose  mouths  must  be  stopped,  who  subvert 
whole  houses,  teaching  things  which  they  ought  not, 
for  tilthy  lucre's  sake. 

12  One  ol'  themselves,  even  a  prophet  of  their  own, 
said,  The  Cretiaus  are  always  liars,  evil  beasts,  slow 
bellies. 


10  For  there  are  many  unruly  men,  vain  talkers,  and 

11  deceivers,  specially  ihey  of  the  circumcision,  whose 
mouths  must  be  stopped  ;  men  who  overthrow  whole 
houses,  teaching  things  which  they  ought  rot,  for 

12  filthy  lucre's  sake.  One  of  themselves,  a  prophet  of 
their  own,  said,  Cretans  are  always  liars,  evil  beasts. 


Jewish  distinctions  between  outward  things  as 
cleati  and  unclean,  the  apostle  affirms  that  for 
tlie  Christian  no  such  distinctions  exist,  since 
purity  and  impurity,  in  any  moral  sense,  do 
not  belong  to  mere  outward  things,  such  as 
meats  and  drinks,  but  only  to  the  soul.  To 
tiie  pure,  therefore,  all  such  things  are  pure, 
while  to  the  impure  nothing  is,  or  can  be,  pure, 
since  in  them  both  mind  and  conscience  are 
defiled;  which  also  is  seen  in  their  character 
and  conduct,  since,  while  professing  to  know 
God,  they  practically  deny  him,  being  detesta- 
ble in  character,  and  morally  incapable  of 
any  good  work.     (15,  16.) 

10,  For — he  explains  the  necessity  of  these 
qualifications  in  the  ministry,  from  the  number 
and  character  of  the  opposers,  referred  to  in 
the  preceding  verse,  and  especially  from  the 
character  of  the  Cretans.  There  are  mtiny 
unruly — those  who  refuse  subjection  to  church 
and  pastoral  authority  and  walk  disorderly. 
The  parties  thus  referred  to  seem  to  have  been 
members  of  the  church.  And  vain  talkers 
and  deceivers — men  given  to  talk,  making 
much  of  things  of  no  moment,   and  seeking 

to    deceive     others.         (3:9;  l  Tim.  1:6;  2  Tim.  3:13; 

Gal. 6:3.)  Specially  they  of  the  circumci- 
sion— professed  converts  from  JudaLsm,  who 
insisted  on  the  necessity  of  observing  the  Jew- 
ish ceremonial  law,  in  addition  to  the  precepts 
of  the  gospel.  According  to  the  testimony  of 
Josephus  and  others,  many  Jews  were  at  this 
time  living  in  Crete,  of  whom  doubtless  num- 
bers professed  Christianity,  or  were  in  various 
ways  connected  with  the  (as  yet)  partially 
organized  Christian  assemblies. 

11.  Whose  mouths  must  be  stopped— be 
checked,  or  curbed,  as  an  unruly  beast  is 
bridled,  or  muzzled.  They  were  men  who 
must  be  silenced  by  clear,  conclusive,  confuta- 
tion and  conviction,  as  Christ  put  to  silence 
the  Sadducees  and  Pharisees  (Matt. 22:34, 46),  and 
Paul  confounded  the  Jews  at  Damascus.  (Acts 
9:22.)  Compare  1  Tim.  1  :  3-7;  2  Tim.  3:1-9. 
Who  subvert  whole  houses — ^or,  inasmuch 
as  they  are,  or,  as  those  who  are,  subverting 


whole  households.  Keason  why  their  mouths 
must  be  stopped  :  their  slanderous  accusations 
and  false  doctrines  were  producing  disa.«trous 
eifects,  so  that  entire  families  were  being  per- 
verted from  the  truth.  (2 Tim.  2 :  is.)  Teach- 
ing things  which  they  ought  not,  for  filthy 
lucre's  sake.  The  deceivers  were,  in  this 
case,  influenced,  not  by  fanaticism  or  false 
zeal,  but  by  sordid  motives.  Perhaps  they 
made  themselves  popular  by  flattering  Jewish 
prejudices,  teaching  the  obligation  of  the 
Mosaic  ceremonial  law,  and  the  superior  dig- 
nity and  privilege  of  those  who  could  trace 
their  genealogy  back  to  Abraham;  and  thus 
secured  a  larger  following  and  more  ample 

support.       (1  Tim.  3:  3-8;  6:5.) 

12.  One  of  themselves,  even  a  prophet 
of  their  own,  said— that  is,  one  of  the  Cre- 
tans, of  whose  general  characteristics,  as  a 
people,  the  apostle  now  speaks.  He  refers  to 
Epiinenides,  of  Gnossus,  Crete,  who  lived 
about  B.  c.  600;  a  man  of  such  distinction  as 
a  prophet  and  sage,  that  he  is  cited  as  an 
inspired  man  by  Plato,  Cicero,  and  other 
eminent  writers.  The  first  clause  of  the  words 
here  cited  was  found,  also,  in  a  hymn  to  Zeus 
by  Callimachus,  of  Cyrene,  B.  c.  260.  'A 
prophet  of  their  own  ' — that  is,  reputed  among 
them  as  a  prophet,  and,  being  one  of  them- 
selves, not  likely  to  speak  evil  of  them  falsely. 
Paul  quotes  twice  elsewhere  from  heathen 
authors  (Actsu  :28;  1  Cor.  15:33),  but  nowherc  men- 
tions their  names.  The  Cretiansare  always 
liars,  evil  beasts,  slow  bellies.  Evil  beasts 
— "rude,  savage,  cunning,  greedy."  'Slow 
bellies,'  or,  idle  glicttons,  as  in  Revised  Ver- 
sion, applied  to  persons  who  become  corpu- 
lent through  idleness  and  gluttony,  and  here 
directly  designating  the  Cretans,  because  the 
belly  was  the  chief  object  of  their  life.  (Rom.  i6: 
18;  Phil.  3:19.)  The  character  here  given  of  the 
Cretans  as  a  people  is  abundantly  confirmed 
by  Livy,  Polybius,  Plutarch,  and  Strabo,  who 
testify  to  their  mendacity,  brutality,  avarice, 
and  idleness.  The  word.  To  Crefize,  (Kprirt^eiv) 
signified  among  the  ancients  to  lie,  to  deceive. 


Ch.  I.]  TITUS. 

l:{  This  witness  is  true.  Wherefore  rebuke  them 
sharply,  that  tliey  may  bu  sound  in  the  lailh; 

14  Nut  giving  heed  to  Jewish  fables,  and  uouiuiand- 
ments  of  men,  that  turn  from  the  truth. 

15  Unto  the  pure  all  things  (ire  pure:  but  unto  them 
that  are  defiled  and  unbelieving  i'.v  nothing  pure ;  but 
even  their  mind  and  conscience  is  detiled. 


133 


13  idle  'gluttons.  This  testimony  is  true.  For  wliieh 
cause    reprove    tlieni    sharply,    that    they   may   be 

Unsound  in  the  faith,  not  j^iving  heed  to  .Jewish 
fables,  and  commandmeuis  of  men  who  turn  away 

15  from  the  truth.  To  the  pure  all  thiugs  are  pure: 
but  to  them  that  are  defiled  and  unbelieving  nothing 
is  pure;  but  both  their  luiud  and  their  conscience 


1  Gr.  bellits 2  Gr.  healthy. 


13.  This  witness  is  true.  The  apostle 
conlirins  Epiiiienides'  words,  as  justly-  charac- 
terizing the  Cretans  as  a  people.  Doubtless 
there  were  many  individual  exceptions,  but 
these  characteristics  belonged  to  them  as  a 
nation.  Wherefore  rebuke  them  sharply 
— ratlier,  convict  them  sharply,  witli  clear, 
decisive  proofs,  and  earnest,  authoritative  man- 
ner; referring  "not  so  much  to  the  heretics  as 
the  Cretans,  who  were  exposed  to  their  mis- 
leading influences."  Or,  as  EUicott:  ^'Con- 
fide them,  set  them,  right,  with  severity ;  not 
the  deceivers  so  much  as  the  deceived."  That 
they  may  be  sound  (healthy)  in  the  faith 
— that  is,  that  ihey  may  be  in  moral  health,  in 
virtue  of,  or,  by  means  of,  the  faith.  The 
gospel  alone  can  keep  them  in  moral  health  ; 
Titus  must,  tlierefore,  use  sharpness,  severity, 
ill  confuting  and  convicting  them  when  neces- 
sary, to  prevent  their  deception  and  their  per- 
version from  the  truth.  'In  the  faith  ' — "faitli 
being  the  sphere  which  constitutes  the  centre 
and  starting  point  of  the  entire  internal  and 
external  life,  and,  therefore,  if  it  is  to  be  good, 
must  be  the  seat  of  health."  (Van  Ooster- 
zee. ) 

14.  Not  giving  heed  to  Jewish  fables. 
Precisely  what  these  were,  it  is  not  easy  to 
ascertain.  Tiiey  are  referred  to  (iTim.  i:4;  4:4) 
as  "fables  and  endless  genealogies,"  "profane 
and  old  wives'  fables."  Here  they  are  called 
"Jewish  fables."  Thus  of  Jewish  origin, 
they  were  possibly  those  popular  speculations 
as  to  angels  and  aeons  which,  in  a  later  age, 
took  more  clearly  defined  form  as  Gnosticism. 
Probably  the  deception  ("always  liars") 
which  characterizes  the  Cretans,  inclined 
them  to  these  idle  fables.  '  Not  giving  heed'  : 
men  have  not  only  no  right  to  receive  error, 
but  they  are  under  obligation,  also,  to  avoid 
it,  to  give  no  heed  to  it.  It  must  be  shunned 
as  a  temptation  and  snare.  For  theoretical 
error  always,  sooner  or  later,  lends  to  practical 
error,  sin  in  heart  and  life;  and  tlie  only  puri- 
fying power  in  character  and  action  is  that 
heart  faith  which  clearly  apprehends  and  re- 


ceives the  truth.  And  commandments  of 
men  that  turn  from  the  truth.  Tiiese 
commands  related  to  abstinence  from  meats 
and  drinks,  and  other  observances,  which  the 
ceremonial  law  once  prescribed :  but  which, 
as  that  law  had  been  abrogated  by  the  gospel, 
could  now  rest  only  on  the  commandment  of 
men.  Such  restrictions  and  observances,  also, 
had  been  greatly  increased  by  "the  tradition 
of  the  elders."  (Mark? :  1-13.)  But  all  these,  as 
obligations  imposed  on  the  conscience  by  man, 
were  mere  "  will-worship,"  intruding  on  the 
prerogatives  of  God  and  offensive  to  him 
(coi.  2 :  20-23) ;  wlillc,  as  the  apostle  proceeds  to 
show,  such  distinctions  in  merely  outward, 
things,  as  meats  and  drinks,  liad  no  basis  in 
the  nature  of  things. 

15.  Unto  the  pure  all  things  are  pure — 
that  is,  all  the  outward  things  referred  to, 
such  as  meats  and  drinks,  to  which  these  dis- 
tinctions of  pure  and  impure  were  applied. 
Whether  these  things  are  for  us  clean  or 
unclean,  the  apostle  says,  depends,  not  on  the 
things,  but  on  us;  if  we  are  pure  inwardly, 
purified  in  heart  by  faith  (Act«!5:9),  then  all 
these  outward  things  are  for  us  pure,  and  are 
fitted  for  our  use.  "  There  is  nothing  unclean 
in  itself."  (Rom.  14;  14, 20;  1  Cor.s:  4-8.)  Sin  doos  not 
inhere  in  a  thing,  but  in  a  moral  personality; 
so  that  whether  anything  is  for  a  man  clean  or 
unclean,  depends  on  the  heart  of  the  man. 
"God  made  nothing  unclean."  (Chry.sos- 
tom.)  Thus  Christ  said:  "There  is  nothing 
from  without  a  man,  that  entering  into  him 
can  defile  him ;  but  the  things  which  come 
out  of  him,  these  are  they  tiiat  defile  the 
man."  (Mark  7: 15 ;  Man.  is :  10-20.)  'All  things': 
not  including,  of  course,  willful  error  and  acts 
forbidden  by  the  moral  law;  the  context 
plainly  limits  the  words  to  things  commonly 
regarded  by  Jews  as  ceremoniallj'  unclean,  a 
distinction  which  had  been  done  away,  with 
the  establishment  of  Christianity.  (ac.«  m  :  a-i«t.) 
But  unto  them  that  are  defiled  and  unbe- 
lieving is  nothing  pure.'  As  it  is  the  man 
and  not  the  thing  which  determines  its  purity, 


134 


TITUS. 


16  They  profess  that  they  know  God;  but  in  works 
they  di'ny  liuii,  being  ubuminable,  and  disobedient,  and 
unto  every  good  work  reprobate. 


[Ch.  I. 


16  are  defiled.  They  profess  that  they  know  God  ;  but 
by  I  heir  works  they  deny  hinj,  being  iiboniinnble, 
and  disobedient,  and  unto  every  good  work  repro- 
bate. 


it  follows  that  to  the  impure  nothing  can  be 
].)ure.  "They  have  within  a  fountain  of  pol- 
lution which  spreads  itself  over  and  infects 
everything  about  them.  Their  food  and  drink, 
their  possessions,  their  employments,  their 
comforts,  their  actions — all  are  in  the  reckon- 
ing of  God  tainted  with  impurity,  because 
they  are  putting  away  Irom  them  that  which 
alone  has  for  the  soul  regenerating  and 
cleansing  efficacy."  (Fairbairn.)  But  even 
(both)  their  mind  and  conscience  is 
defiled.  'Mind'  (voOs),  the  intellectual,  ra- 
tional nature,  but  considered  as  that  which, 
through  the  alfections,  determines  the  voli- 
tions. It  thus  practically  "includes  the  will- 
ing as  well  as  the  thinking  part  of  man."  (De- 
litzsch.)  'Conscience'  {awiiti^ai^),  the  moral, 
self-reflective  nature,  which  cognizes  right 
and  wrong.  The  two  united  present  "  the  life 
stream  in  its  outflow  and  its  inflow  together." 
(Beck.)  The  whole  inner  life  is  defiled. 
"And,  therefore,  uncleanness  tainting  their 
rational  acts  and  reflective  self-recognitions, 
nothing  can  be  pure  to  them  ;  every  occasion 
becomes  to  them  an  occasion  of  sin,  every 
creature  of  God  an  instrument  of  sin;  as 
Mack  well  observes,  'the  relation  in  which 
the  sinful  subject  stiinds  to  the  objects  of  its 
possession,  or  of  its  inclination,  is  itself  a  sin- 
ful one.'"  (Alford. )  See  this  fearful  fact, 
the  universal  sinfulness  of  the  unconverted 
man,  stated  in  still  more  profound  and  solemn 
form,  in  Kom.  8  :  7,  8:  "The  carnal  mind  is 
enmity  against  God:  for  it  is  not  subject  to 
the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  he.  So 
then  they  that  are  in  the  flesh  cannot  please 
God."  Compare  Eph.  2:1-3;  Prov.  15:8; 
21  :4. 

Note  :  Here,  as  elsewhere,  a  pure  faith  is 
made  the  essential  condition  of  a  truly  pure 
life.  The  truth,  believingly  apprehended,  is 
that  which  makes  the  soul  morally  free.  (John 
8:31-36.)  It  renews  the  heart,  the  fountain  of 
the  moral  life,  and  puts  the  man  into  living 
sympathy  with  God  and  with  all  that  is  true 
and  pure  and  holy.  (Rom.  6: 2-n.)  To  such  a 
soul,  the  things — mere  meats  and  drinks,  on 
•which  tiie  Jews  insisted  as  unclean — were  not 
unclean  :    they  did  not  and  could  not  defile 


him.  "But  the  principle  'to  the  pure  ail 
things  are  jmre '  may  be  sadly  abused,  unless 
it  is  explained  and  limited  by  the  principle 
stated  by  the  apostle  in  1  Tim.  4  :  4,  5.  Since 
no  one  is  absolutely  pure,  and  even  the  best 
men  are  exposed  to  various  temptations,  there 
are,  in  the  case  of  every  man,  things  which, 
though  in  themselves  innocent,  might  better 
be  avoided  by  him :  hence  conscientious,  daily 
self-observation,  which  is  often  attended  by 
self-mortifying  experience,  is  necessary  to 
make  us  (jbservant  of  those  breakers  which 
specially  threaten  us."     (Van  Oosterzee.) 

16.  They  profess  that  they  know  God. 
This  is  their  public  profession  ;  and  it  is  so  far 
true,  that  they  do  in  fact  have  an  outward 
knowledge  of  him,  in  this  dift'ering  from  the 
heathen,  and  being  thereby  in  greater  con- 
demnation. But  in  their  works  they  deny 
him.  Their  conduct  is  at  variance  with  their 
profession  of  tlie  knowledge  of  God,  for  they 
live  as  th()ugh  they  knew  him  not.  Being 
abominable,  and  disobedient — or,  since 
they  are  abominable,  etc.  In  character  they 
are  'abominable,'  vile  and  detestable  before 
God;  in  life  they  are  'disobedient,'  disobey- 
ing the  precepts  of  God's  law,  and  and  reject- 
ing the  grace  of  his   gospel.       (Ezek.  33:31;  1  Tim.  5: 

8;  2Tim.3:5.)  And  unto  evcry  good  work 
reprobate.  'Reprobate'  (afioxinos)  applies  to 
one  who  has  been  repeatedly  and  fully  tested, 
and,  in  tlie  testing  process,  has  proved  worth- 
less. So  these  for  every  good  work  had  been 
proved  worthless.  The  opportunities  and  in- 
centives to  good  works  had  been  set  before 
them,  but  they  had  chosen  rather  the  evil ; 
they  were  now,  therefore,   'reprobate,'  given 

up,     as    proved     worthless.       (Rom.  1:28:  l  Cor.9:'i7; 

2  Cor.  13:5-7;  Heb.  6:8.)  Life  in  the  church  is  a  pro- 
bation, in  which  character  is  tested,  and  where, 
alas!  many  fail.  As  Judas,  even  in  the  com- 
pany of  apostles,  and  under  the  personal  in- 
struction of  Christ,  developed  only  in  his  evil 
nature,  and  fitted  himself  for  perdition,  and 
as  Ananias  and  Simon  Magus  (Acts  5:i;  8:i8), 
though  under  apostolic  teaching,  onh'  revealed 
the  wickedness  that  was  in  them;  so,  in  all 
ages,  there  are  men  in  the  churches  to  whom 
religious  privileges  only  prove  the  means  of 


Ch.  II.J 


TITUS. 


135 


CHAPTER  II. 


BUT  speak  thou  the  things  which  become  souud  doc- 
triue ; 
2  Thai    the   agcti   men   be  sober,   grave,   temperate, 
sound  in  faiih,  in  charity,  in  palitnce. 

S  The  aged  wDiueo  lilcewise,  tliat  llu^y  be  in  behaviour 
as  become  til  liolincss,  not  false  accusers,  not  given  to 
luucii  wine,  teachers  of  good  things; 


1      But  speak  thou  the  things  which  befit  the  >  sound 

'Z  *  doctrine:  that  aged  men  be  temperate,  grave,  sober- 

3  minded,  ^  sound  in  faith,  in  lovt-,  in  ••  patience:  that 

aged    women    likewise   be   reverent   in    demeanour, 

not  slanderers  uor  enslaved  to  much  wine,  teacliers 


1  Gr.  health/iU 2  Or,  teacMng 3  Gr.  kealtbn 4  Or,  tttdfoMtnett. 


demonstrating  tlieir  evil  cliaracter,  and  the 
intellectual  knowledge  of  God  only  serves  to 
evoke  their  real  hatred  to  him  and  to  fit  them 
for  destruction.  They  "  profess  that  they 
know  God,  but  in  works  they  deny  him"; 
and  at  the  last,  though  they  say,  "  Lord,  Lord, 
have  we  not  prophesied  in  thy  name?  and  in 
thy  name  have  cast  out  devils?  and  in  thy 
name  done  many  wonderful  works?"  he 
will  then  say  unto  them,  "  I  never  knew  you; 
depart  from    me,   ye  that    work    iniquity." 

(Matt.  7:15-27.) 

Ch.  2  :  1-10.  Titus  Directed  how  to 
Instruct  Different  Classes  of  Persons 
IN  the  Church.— Speaking  the  things  that 
befit  sound  doctrine,  he  is  charged  to  exhort: 
1.  Aged  men,  to  a  spirit  and  conduct  befitting 
their  age  and  experience.  (2.)  2.  Aged  women, 
to  a  deportment  such  as  becomes  holy  persons, 
that  thus  they  may  train  the  younger  women 
in  those  virtues  which  shall  confer  blessing  on 
the  home-;  over  which  they  preside.  (3-5.) 
3.  The  younger  men,  to  sobermindedness; 
seeking,  also,  to  influence  them  by  the  ex- 
ample of  good  works  furnished  in  his  own 
life,  and  by  the  sincerity,  gravity,  and  sound- 
ness of  his  discourse,  thus  putting  to  shame 
oppost.Ts.  (6-8.)  4.  Slaves,  also,  to  submis- 
sion, cheerful  obedience,  and  fidelity  to  their 
niaster.s,  whereby  they  will  adorn  the  doc- 
trine of  our  Saviour  God.     (9,  10.) 

1.  But  speak  thon.  In  contrast  with  the 
false  teachers  before  described.  The  things 
which  become  {hefit  the)  sound  doctrine — 
or,  healthy  instruction,  the  precepts  of  the 
gospel,  obedience  to  which  gives  moral  health. 
The  duties  he  is  to  inculcate  are  to  be  such  as 
bejit,  are  agreeable  to,  sound  doctrine,  the 
simple,  pure  gospel.  The  errorists,  "teaching 
things  which  they  ought  not"  (mi),  dealt  in 
subjects  morally  unprofitable,  producing  no 
fruits  in  holy  living,  but  mere  word  strifes, 
and  profitless    speculations.      Titus,    on    the 


other  hand,  must  enforce  those  solid  virtues 
and  practical  duties  which  befit  the  go.spel. 
These  are  indicated  in  what  follows. 

1.  2,  3.     Duties  of  the  Aoeu. 

2.  That  the  aged  nieu  be  sober  (cir- 
cumspect)— literally,  temperate  as  It  reapects 
wine;  then,  sober-minded,  watchful  in  spirit 
and  conduct.  The  word,  doubtless,  includes 
freedom  from  intemperance  in  strong  drink, 
but  here  probably  more  than  this,  circum- 
spection in  all  things.  Grave— or,  dignijiid ; 
referring  to  their  bearing  and  deportment,  a 
mannerbefitting  age  and  dignity.  Temperate. 
In  Revised  Version,  sober-minded.  Involving 
the  conception  of  a  well-balanced,  i)roperl}' 
regulated  mind.  A  person  of  discretion  and 
sound  judgment.  (i:8;  i  Tim.  2:2.)  Sound 
(healthy)  in  faith,  in  love,  in  patience— not 
morbid  or  fitful,  in  these  qualities,  but  in  tiie 
full,  natural  exercise  of  them.  'Patience,'  or, 
enduring  fortitude.  Old  age  is  the  period  of  in- 
firmities from  tlie  decay  of  the  body,  the  season 
of  loneliness  from  the  loss  of  the  friends  of  early 
life,  who  pass  away  by  death;  the  age  when 
life  often  seems  a  disappointment  and  failure, 
as  one  looks  back  on  the  unrealized  hopes  of 
j'outh.  It  is  the  blessed  ofiice  of  the  religion 
of  Christ  at  such  a  time  to  lift  the  soul  above 
querulousness  and  murmuring  and  despair, 
and  inspire  it  with  patient  resignation,  heav- 
enly fortitude,  and  ever  brightening  hope; 
and  it  is  where  this  effect  is  produced  in  the 
actual  life,  the  gospel  shines  forth  in  its 
highest  glory  before  men.  "Those  who  are 
full  of  years  should  be  full  of  grace  and  good- 
ness, the  inner  tnan  renewing  more  and  more 
as  the  07iter  decays."     (Henry.) 

3.  The  aged  women  likewise,  tlint 
they  be  in  behaviour  as  becometh  holi- 
ness. A  general  characterization,  of  which 
the  following  are  specific  points  :  '  Behavior,' 
or,  demeanor.  The  word  includes  all  that  in 
the  appearance,  bearing,  deportment,  which 
manifests  the  inner  life.     Their  outward  de- 


136 


TITUS. 


[Ch.  II. 


4  That  they  may  teach  the  young  women  to  be  sober, 
to  love  their  husbands,  to  luve  their  eliildren, 

5  T<j  he  discreet,  chaste,  keepers  at  hoiue,  good, 
obedient  to  their  owu  husbauds,  that  the  word  of  (jod 
be  not  blasphemed. 

6  Youug  men  likewise  exhort  to  be  soberminded. 

7  In  all  tilings  shewing  thyself  a  pattern  of  «ood 
works:  in  doctrine  shewing  uncorruptuess,  gravity, 
sincerity, 

8  .Sound  speech,  that  cannot  be  condemned;  that  he 
that  is  of  the  contrary  part  may  be  ashamed,  having  no 
evil  thing  to  say  of  you. 


4  of  that  which  is  good  ;  thai  they  may  train  the  young 
women  to  love  their  husbands,  to  love  their  chil- 

5  dren,  to  he  soberminded,  cha.ite,  woikers  iit  home, 
kind,  being   in   subjection   to  their  own  husbands, 

6  that    the   word   of   God    be    not    blaspheme  J :    the 

7  younger  men  likewise  exhort  to  be  sobeiniinded:  in 
all  things  shewing  thyself  an  eusample  of  good 
Works:     in     thy    doctrine    shewing    uncorruptuess, 

8  gravity,  sound  speech,  that  cannot  be  condemned  ; 
that  he  that  is  of  the  contrary  pai't  may  be  ashamed, 


nieanor  should  befit  and  attest  a  reverent  and 
devout  heaft.  "That  tlieir  very  gait  and 
motions,  their  countenance,  their  speech,  their 
silence,  may  carry  in  them  a  certain  decorous 
and  sacred  dignity."  (Jerome.)  'As  be- 
fometh  holiness ' — or,  holy-beseeming.  Com- 
pare Eph.  5:3;  1  Tim.  2:  10.  Not  false  ac- 
cusers [slanderers) — literally,  not  devils; 
calumniators,  speaking  evil  of  others.  Not 
given  {enslaved)  to  much  wine.  Forbidding 
bondage  to  the  habit  of  using  stimulants,  a 
vice  common  among  heathen  women,  and 
conspicuously  so  probably  in  Crete.     (Rom. «: 

16;  2  Peter  2:19;  1  Tim.  3:8,  11.)       TcachcrS    of  gOOd 

things.  As  the  natural  instructors  of  the 
younger  women,  they  were  to  teach  them,  by 
precept  and  example,  that  which  is  good  and 

U-eful.       (Pr  v.31:l,  26.) 

II.  4-8.  Duties  of  the  Young,  and  of 
Titus  as  an  Example. 

4.  That  they  may  teach  the  young 
women  to  be  sober,  to  love  their  hus- 
bands, to  love  their  children.  Teach  .  .  . 
to  be  sober,  a  single  word  in  the  Greek  {<rui>ppo- 
vi^wffi) — literally,  make  sober,  or  sober-mhided 
— then,  train,  or  instruct  with  authority; 
probably  used  because  of  the  authoritative  re- 
lation of  mothers  to  their  daughters.  The 
habituttl  example  and  teaching  of  mothers  were 
thus  to  foster  in  the  younger  wives  and  mothers 
that  love  for  husband  and  children  which 
should  bless  the  home  life.  Love  is  tlie  highest 
blessing  in  an  earthly  home,  and  of  this  the 
wife  and  mother  is  the  natural  centre.  The 
union  and  mutual  love  of  husband  and  wife 
Scripture  compares  to  that  of  Christ  and  the 
Church  ;  and  the  gospel  everywhere  blesses 
and  dignifies  the  familj',  exalting  all  the 
natural  relations,  and  making  the  home  life 
helpful  to  the  life  of  holine.ss.     (Eph.  5:22-.t3.) 

5.  To  be  discreet,  chaste,  keepers  at 
home  {occupied  in  home  duties) — the  virtues 
of  the  true  wife,  which  shed  sweetness  and 
grace  on  the  home.     These  the  mothers  are  to 


cultivate  in  their  daughters,  and  thus  fit  them 
to  carry  blessing  to  the  liomes  over  which  they 
shall  preside.  Tiie  Christian  mother  tlius 
multiplies  and  perpetuates  her  usefulness  in 
the  homes  of  lier  children.  '  Keepers  at  home.' 
Most  of  the  best  mjtnuscripts,  as  the  Sinaitic, 
Alexandrian,  Ephraem,  have  workers  at  home 
(oiicoup-yovs),  a  reading  adopted  by  Lachniann, 
Aiford,  Tischendorff,  Westcott  and  Hort,  and 
the  Revisers.  Obedient  {being  in  subjection') 
to  their  own  husbands.  Compare,  as  illus- 
trating and  emphasizing  the  sanctities  of  home 
life,  and  the  subordination  of  the  diilerent 
members  of  the  family  to  its  head,  Eph.  5  :  13, 
11,  22-24;  Col.  3  :  18;  1  Peter  3  :  1-6.  That 
the  Avord  of  God  be  not  blasphemed 
{evil  spoken  of).  The  domestic  virtues  in  tlie 
character  of  the  younger  wives  would  com- 
mend the  gospel  to  their  husbands  and  to  the 
world,  and  men  observing  its  power  in  giving 
grace  and  beauty  to  their  lives  would  be  won 

to  it.       (Matt.  5:  16;  1  Peter  3: 1,  2.) 

6.  Young  men  likewise  exhort  to  be 
soberminded — or,  to  be  discreet.  They  are 
to  cultivate  sober  thoughtful  ne.^s,  practictil 
wisdom,  self-restraint;  a  thorough  self-govern- 
ment, in  which  all  the  faculties  and  sippetites 
and  passions  are  under  the  control  of  a  sound 
judgment  and  an  enlightened  conscience. 

7,  8.  In  all  things  shewing  thyself  a 
pattern  of  good  works.  Asa  minister,  and  as 
still  in  compartitive  youth,  his  own  spirit  and 
life  would  be  influential  with  the  younger 
men  ;  and  he  was  required  to  be,  therefore,  in 
his  own  person  a  fitting  model  fortiiem;  and 
this,  not  in  some  things,  but  in  all  things. 
The  duty  of  the  minister  to  be  a  pattern,  a 
model,  for  the  people  is  one  of  the  plain  teach- 
ings of  Scripture.       (l  Cor.  U  :  l  ;  »Tbess.3  :9;  I  Tim.  4 

12;  1  Peter 5: 3.)  In  doctriue  (thy  teaching) 
shewing  uncorrnptness,  gravity,  sincer- 
ity, sound  speech,  that  cannot  be  con- 
demned.    His  teaching  was   to  be   marked, 

first,   in   its  spirit,   as   incorrupt,  thoroughly 


Ch.  II.] 


TITUS. 


137 


9  Ezhorl  servants  to  be  obedient  unto  their  own  mas- 
ters, aiul  to  please  tlitm  well  in  all  things;  not  answer- 
ing again  ; 

10  Not  purloining,  but  shewing  :ill  good  fidelity; 
thai  they  may  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our  saviour 
in  all  things. 


9  having  no  evil  thing  to  say  of  us.    Exhort  >  servants 

to  he  in  subjection  to  their  own  masters,  iinW  to  be 

well-pleasing    o  tliKin  in  all  things;  not  guinsuying; 

10  not  purloining  but  shewing  all  good  lidelily  ;  thai 

they  may  adorn  the  doctrine  of  Uod  our  baviour  iu 


1  Gr.  bondscrvante. 


sincere  and  earnest;  second,  in  its  manner,  as 
st'rious,  dignified,  not  rhetorical,  sensational, 
flippant;  and  third,  in  its  substance  and  form, 
as  healthful  in  the  pure,  life-giving  doctrines 
and  duties  inculcated,  and  in  the  simple,  fitting 
words  with  which  it  is  clothed;  thus  avoiding 
all  that  the  serious  hearer  could  condemn. 
'  Sincerity  ' — in  all  the  older  manuscripts  this 
word  is  wanting;  most  critical  editors  omit  it 
from  tiie  text.  That  he  that  is  of  the  con- 
trary part  maybe  ashamed,  having  no  evil 
thing  to  say  of  you.  When  the  life  of  the 
pieaclier  is  an  example  of  good  works,  and  his 
teacliing  is  in  spirit  sincere,  in  manner  rever- 
ent, and  in  substance  true,  the  opi)oser  finds 
nothing  to  criticise,  and  is  plainly  without 
reason  in  his  opposition,  He  is  thus  disarmed. 
It  is  the  obvious  duty  of  the  minister,  as  re- 
spects his  life  and  work,  to  avoid,  with  all 
■possible  care,  any  just  cause  for  censure  or 
criticism,  thatthegospel  may  not  suffer  through 
imperfection  either  in  his  life  or  in  his  sermons; 
and  though  he  may  not  always  thus  silence 
•  opposition,  since  men  are  by  nature  opposed  to 
God,  he  will  nevertheless  commend  himself  to 
every  man's  conscience  in  the  sight  of  God 
(2 Cor. 4:2);  and  lie  who  has  the  consciences  of 
the  people  on  his  side  is  likely  in  the  end  to 
win  their  hearts.  Even  if  he  fail  to  win,  he 
is,  by  such  a  ministry,  "pure  from  the  blood 
of  all  men  "     (Acts  20: 26.) 

III.  9, 10.  Duties  of  Christian  Slaves. 

9.  Exhort  servants  (slaves)  to  be  obe- 
dient unto  their  own  masters.  The  im- 
mense number  of  slaves  in  tlie  Roman  Empire 
in  the  apostolic  age,  and  the  spiritual  freedom 
and  equality  which  the  gospel  proclaimed  to 
all  in  the  church,  made  the  frequent  repetition 
of  this  injunction  necessary.  See  note,  1  Tim. 
6  ;  1,  and  compare  Eph.  6  :  5 ;  1  Peter  2  :  18. 
The  gospel  gave  spiritual  freedom,  but  it 
did  not  teach  communism.  It  left  the  civil 
relations  of  life  as  they  existed  (1  Cor. 7:20.2*), 
V)ut  it  spiritually  exalted  and  ennobled  them, 
making  the  slave  the  Lord's  freeman,  and 
exalting  the  service  done  the  master  into  a 
holy   service  done  for   Christ.     So   far  from 


inciting  insubordimition,  it  taught  the  slave  to 
render  all  the  more  cheerful  service  to  the 
master,  since  in  so  doing  he  was  serving  and 
honoring  Christ.  And  to  please  them  well 
in  all  things;  not  answering  again — they 
should  study  to  make  their  service  acceptable 
to  the  masters,  especially  avoiding  a  contrary 
spirit,  or  the  disposition  to  set  up  their  own 
will  against  the  will  of  tl»e  master.  'Not 
answering  agtiin,'  7iot  gainsaying,  or,  contra- 
dieting.  It  is  obvious  that  '  all  tilings '  is  liere 
limited  to  things  not  contrary  to  God's  law, 
according  to  the  principle,  "  we  ought  to  obey 
God  rather  than  men."     (aciso:29.) 

10.  Not  purloining.  Compare  Acts  5  :  2,  3. 
Petty  stealing  or  purloining  has  alwa^^s  been 
a  vice  of  slavery;  it  is  a  natural  temptation  of 
men  who  serve  without  formal  wages,  and 
conceive  their  master's  propert3'  as  in  some 
sense  their  own.  But  shewing  all  good 
fidelity.  The  Christian  slave  is  to  resist 
this  temptation,  and,  in.stead  of  yielding  to 
this  common  vice,  is  to  present  a  marked  con- 
trast by  showing  all  good  fidelity.  His  trust- 
worthiness and  integrity  are  to  stand  unim- 
peachable. 'Fidelity'  (Trio-Tti-) :  the  only  in- 
stance (if  it  be  one)  of  tlie  word  in  this  sense 
in  the  Pastoral  Epistles.  The  partiliel  passages 
suggest,  even  here,  the  usual  sense  oi  faith ; 
sliorving  all  good  faith — that  is,  manifesting  in 
their  service  all  the  efl^ects  of  faith.  The  ser- 
vice rendered  to  their  masters  should  be  a 
service  of  faith,  done  "unto  the  Lord  and  not 
unto  men,"  "in  singleness  of  heart,  fearing 
the  Lord,"  remembering  that  they  "serve  the 
Lord  Christ,"  and  looking  for  their  reward 
from  him.  (Cni. 3:22-25;  Eph. 6:5-8.)  That  they 
may  adorn  the  doctrine  of  Ciod  our  Sa- 
viour in  all  things.  The  Christian  slave  is 
to  honor  the  doctrine  of  God,  the  author  of 
his  salvation,  by  seeking  to  please  his  master, 
and  showing  perfect  fidelity  to  his  muster's 
interests;  thus  manifesting  in  his  character 
and  life  the  excellence  and  power  of  the  religion 
he  professed.  "God  deigns  to  receive  an 
'ornament'  frotn  slaves,  whose  condition  was 
so  mean  and  low,  that  .they  were  wont  to  be 


138 

TITUS: 

[Ch. 

11 

11  For  the  gi 
appeared  to  all 

ace  of  God 
men, 

that  bringeth  sal 

vatiou  hath  1  11  all 

things. 

For 

the 

grace 

of  God 

1  hath  appeared. 

1  Or,  hath 

appeared  to  all  men,  bringing  salvation 

scarcely  accounted  men  :  for  he  does  not  mean 
'servants'  such  as  we  have  at  the  present  day, 
but  shives  who  were  bought  with  monej',  and 
held  as  property,  like  oxen  and  horses.  And 
if  the  life  of  these  men  is  an  ornament  to  the 
Christian  name,  much  more  let  those  who  are 
in  honor  take  care  that  they  do  not  stain  it  by 
their  baseness."     (Calvin.) 

Note  :  A  Christian's  duty  and  usefulness  lie 
exactly  in,  not  outside  of,  the  station  in  which 
God  has  placed  him.  The  aged,  the  young, 
the  slave,  each  in  his  own  place,  by  fidelity  to 
the  duties  of  his  station,  will  most  effectively 
set  forth  the  power  and  excellence  of  the 
gospel.  The  slave  may  serve  Christ  as  truly 
and  honorably  as  the  master:  it  is  not  the 
place,  but  fidelity  to  the  duties  of  the  place, 
which  finds  honor  before  God.  The  Christian, 
therefore,  is  not  restlessly  to  seek  change  of 
station,  but  to  give  all  diligence  to  fulfill  the 
duties  of  the  station  he  occupies.  No  sermon 
is  so  effective  as  a  life  true  to  its  own  place  and 
its  own  work.  Its  appeal  to  the  conscience 
and  the  heart,  though  it  be  silent,  is  irresisti- 
ble; and  however  humble  the  sphere  of  such 
a  life,  before  it  mere  intellectual  skepticism 
shrinks  away  refuted  and  ashamed.  For  the 
religion  which  exalts  and  ennobles  actual  life 
must  be  the  religion  of  God. 

Note,  also,  the  emphasis  here  placed  on 
ethical  and  practical  preaching.  The  pulpit 
is  not  to  present  mere  abstract  doctrine,  and 
leave  the  people  to  draw  their  own  inferences 
as  to  the  duties  of  every-day  life.  On  the 
contrary,  it  must  give  plain,  ])ractical  instruc- 
tion, adapted  to  all  ages  and  classes  of  hearers, 
as  to  the  spirit  and  conduct  incumbent  on  them 
as  disciples  of  Christ.  The  conscience  of  the 
people  is  to  be  educated,  and  thus  the  life 
lifted  into  a  higher  sphere  of  thought  and 
action.  Above  all,  the  character  and  life  thus 
inculcated  in  the  pulpit,  are  to  find  a  distinct 
exemitlification  in  the  preacher  himself.  He 
will  thus  silence  opposition,  and  make  his 
words  irresistible  in  their  power  over  the  con- 
science and  the  heart.  (Rom.  2:  2I;  l  Tini.4  :12,  le.) 
Paul  enforced  his  preaching  by  personal  exam- 
ple, saying  to  his  hearers:  "  Ye  are  witnesses, 
and  God  also,  how  holily  and  justly  and  un- 


blamably  we  behaved  ourselves  among  you." 

(1  Thess.  2  :  W.) 

11-15.  Ground  of  the  Foregoing  Ex- 
hortations TO  Holy  Living  :  the  Grace 
or  God  has  for  its  End  the  Sanctifica- 
TiON  OF  Men. — 1.  God's  grace  in  the  gospel, 
which  brings  salvation  to  all  men,  was  mani- 
fested as  training  us  to  this  end — namely,  (a) 
that  we  should  renounce  impiety  and  all 
worldly  lusts  ;  (6)  that,  having  thus  renounced 
sin,  we  should  live  soberly  and  justly  and 
piously  in  the  present  world ;  and  (c)  that,  as 
an  incentive  to  such  a  life,  we  should  ever  be 
looking  forward  to  the  blessed  hope,  even  the 
appearing  of  the  glory  of  our  great  God  and 
Saviour,  Christ  Jesus.  (11-13.)  2.  Our  sanc- 
tification  was  the  purpose  in  Ciirist's  death  for 
us  :  he  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  re- 
deem us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  for 
himself  a  people  peculiarly  his  own,  dis- 
tinguished by  zeal  for  good  works.  (14.) 
3.  These  things — namely,  the  duties  of  the 
several  classes  in  the  church,  set  forth,  ver. 
1-10,  and  the  motives  thereto,  ver.  11-14 — 
Titus  is  enjoined  to  teach  ;  and,  in  the  case  of 
the  erring  and  wayward,  he  is  to  administer 
rebuke  with  all  authority,  suffering  no  one  to 
despise  him.     (15.) 

11.  For — introducing  the  ground  of  the  pre- 
ceding exhortations ;  holiness  is  the  end  sought 
by  the  gospel,  and  Titus  is,  therefore,  to  urge 
it  on  these  classes  in  the  church.  The  grace 
of  God — the  free,  unmerited  favor  of  God  to 
sinful  men  ;  grace,  which  was  before  hidden 
(Eph.3:i-9),  but  IS  now  revealed  in  the  coming 
and  work  of  Clirist.  That  brinsieth  salva- 
tion hath  appeared  to  all  men — better,  as 
Revised  Version,  hath  appenrrd,  bringing  sal- 
vation to  all  vien — that  is,  salvation  adapted  to 
and  offered  to  all  men  ;  not  necessarily  effectual 
for  all  men,  since  its  power  actually  to  save 
in  any  individual  case  is  plainly  conditioned 
on  personal  faith.  (Johu 3 : is-is.)  "That  grace  of 
God  whereby  alone  it  is  possible  for  mankind 
to  be  saved."  (Beveridge.)  He  emphasizes 
the  universal  offer  of  the  gospel,  as  a  reason 
for  applying  it  to  all  the  different  classes  of 
men  before  mentioned.  Compare  1  Tim.  2 ; 
4;  4:  10. 


Ch.  II.] 


TITUS. 


139 


12  Teachiug  us  that,  denying  ungodliness  and 
worldly  lusts,  we  should  live  soberly,  rigbleously,  aud 
godly,  ill  tliis  present  world  ; 

13  l>uoking  lor  Ihui  blessed  hope,  and  the  glorious 
aopeariug  oi'  ihe  great  (jod  aud  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Carist : 


12  bringing  salvation  to  all  men,  instructing  us,  to  the 
intent  that,  denying  ungodliness  aud  wurluly  lusts, 
we  should  live  soberly   uud  riglileously   and  godly 

lo  in  this  present '  worla  ;  luoking  lor  the  blessed  tiope 
and  appearing  of  the  glory  -  of  the  great  (joa  aud 


1  Or,  age 2  Or,  of  our  great  God  and  Saviour. 


12.  Teacliiiig  us.  The  Greek  word  here, 
(iraiSevaa) ,  as  Used  ill  the  New  Testament,  has 
no  exact  equivalent  in  the  English.  It  is  more 
than  teaching;  rather,  exercising,  training. 
Men  are  depraved,  sinful ;  and  the  gospel,  in 
its  requirements  of  self-denial,  resistance  of 
temptation,  holy  self-discipline,  is  conceived 
as  an  educative,  disciplinary  power,  and  as, 
through  its  discipline,  delivering  us  from  sin 
and  working  in  us  holiness,  (i  cor.  u  :22;  Heb. 
12:6.)  That — introducing  the  purpose  or  end 
of  the  training  or  discipline  of  the  gospel. 
Denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts — 
the  means  tlirougli  whicii  sanctification,  the 
end  designed  by  the  gospel,  is  secured.  The 
denying  of  impiety  and  inordintite  earthly 
desires,  or  the  firm  resistance  of  the  tendencies 
to  evil  within  us,  is  an  essential  condition  of 
salvation.  For  salvation  does  not  consist  only 
in  a  change  of  relation  to  God,  in  justification, 
pardon,  adoption,  but  also  in  a  cliange  of 
character  in  us,  in  regeneration,  sanctification, 
and  holy  living.  Jesus  saves  his  people/;"om 
their  sins;  and  this  salvation,  though  all  of 
grace,  is  not  passively  received,  as  if  the  soul 
were  a  mere  recipient,  but  is  actively  appro- 
priated through  strenuous,  persistent  conflict 
with  evil  within  itself.  Hence  the  Christiiin 
life  is  represented  as  one  of  perpetual  conflict. 

(Luke  9  :  23  ;    Rom.  6  :  12,  13  ;    8  :  13  ;  Epli.  6  :  10-18  ;  Col.  3  :  5.) 

'Worldly  lusts' — literally,  the  worldly  lusts 
— that  is,  all  worldly  lusts,  or  inordinate  de- 
sires, such  as  the  world  cherishes.  (Eph.  2:1-3.) 
We  should  live  soberly,  righteously,  and 
godly — in  these  three  words  the  language,  j)er- 
haps  without  intending  to  define  strictly,  points 
out  the  three  chief  lines  of  human  dut3' :  first, 
the  duty  we  owe  ourselves,  in  maintaining  a 
well-balanced  mind,  a  self-governed,  self- 
regulated  spirit  and  life;  second,  the  duty  we 
owe  to  our  fellow  men,  in  a  life  of  truth  and 
justice  and  equity  toward  them  ;  and  third, 
the  duty  we  owe  God,  in  a  life  of  piety, 
supremely  devoted  to  him.  This  is  the  moral 
goal  of  Christian  living,  the  grand  end  the 
gospel  seeks  to  reach  in  its  teaching  and  disci- 
pline.     "Three  words   express   the  whole  of 


Christianity  :  to  be  strict  toward  oneself,  just 
to  one's  neighbor,  and  pious  toward  God.  If 
thou  livest  thus,  dear  Cliristian,  thou  livest 
right."  (iStarke.)  (,t>>-'ut-  i«  =  i.*;  ecci.  12 :  u;  iikah 
6:8;  Miiit.  22:3i.3!t.)  Intliis  present  world — or, 
p7'esent  age,  as  distinguished  from  the  future 
life,  and  especially  regarded  as  an  evil,  sinful 
age.  "//J.  this  world — because  the  Lord  has 
appointed  life  for  the  trial  of  our  faith." 
(Calvin.) 

13  Looking  for  that  blessed  hope  — 
'hope,'  not  subjective,  but  objective,  put  for 
the  thing  hoped  for,  as  Acts  24:  15;  liom.  8: 
24,  25;  Gal.  5:5.  And  the  glorious  ap- 
pearing [the  appearing  of  the  glory).  As  an 
incentive  to  sucli  a  holy  life.  Christians  have 
a  blessed  object  of  hope  ;  they  are  awaiting, 
expecting,  the  manifestation  of  the  glory; 
namely,  that  which  shall  be  made  at  the 
second  appearing  of  the  Lord  Jesus;  which, 
as  completing  his  redemption,  is  the  highest 
and  most  glorious  object  of  hope  set  before 
the  Christian.  In  this  life,  he  has  only  tlie 
beginnings  of  salvation  ;  but  he  is  expecting 
to  share  in  the  glory  of  God  (Rom. 5:2),  and  his 
eye  is  fixed  on  Christ's  second  coming,  as  the 
epoch  of  "the  adoption;  to  wit,  the  redemp- 
tion of  our  body";  when  his  salvation,  now 
only  begun,  will  reach  its  glorious  completion, 
in   the    redemption    and   glorification   of    his 

whole  nature.  (Rom.  8:18-26;  1  Cor.  1:7:  Phil.J:  20.21; 
1  Thess.  1:9,  10;  2  Tim.  4:8;  Heb.  9:28;  1  Peter  1 :13.)      "The 

living  as  Christians,  soberly,  righteously,  and 
godly,  is  thus  grounded  in  faith  in  the  appear- 
ing of  grace  ("er.  u),  and  is  strengthened  by 
the  hope  of  another  appearing;  namely,  of 
glory."  (Van  Oostorzee.)  Of  the  great  Ciod 
and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  AVhether 
'  great  God '  is  hero  a  designation  of  Chri.st  or 
of  God  the  Father,  is  a  question  still  in  debate. 
I  regard  it  as  designating  Christ  for  the  fol- 
lowing rea.sons :  L  The  translation,  "our 
Great  God  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,"  though 
not  aKsolutely  necessary,  is  in  every  way 
grammatically  the  more  natural.  2.  The  fol- 
lowing context,  in  the  relative  clause  (rcr.ii), 
"  who  gave  himself  for  us,"   plainly  relates 


140 


TITUS. 


[Ch.  II. 


14  Who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us 
from  all  iniquity,  aud  iniiily  untu  himsell'  a  peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  fcOud  works. 


14  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  who  gave  himself  for  us, 
that  lie  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and 
purify  unto  liimself  a  people  lor  his  own  possession, 
zealous  of  good  works. 


only  to  Christ,  but  naturally  requires  us  to 
take  the  whole  preceding  expression,  'our 
Great  God  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,'  as  its 
antecedent.  3.  The  evident  purpose  is  to  em- 
j)hasize  the  greatness  of  what  he  gave  when  he 
gave  himself ;  it  would,  therefore,  be  entirely 
natural  to  present  here  the  supreme  divinity 
of  his  nature,  as  our  Great  God.  4.  The  des- 
ignation of  Christ  as  God  accords  with  the 
analogy  of  other  Scriptures  (isa. s:6;  Joimao:  28; 

Euui.  9:5;  ITiin.  3:16;  Heb.  1:8)  ;    while  a  pasSllgC  Very 

similar  in  sense  and  construction  to  this  occurs 
in  2  Peter  1: 11,  "  the  everlasting  kingdom  of 
our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ."  5.  The 
Fathers,  both  Greek  and  Latin,  with  rare  ex- 
ceptions, so  understood  it,  as  do  by  far  the 
larger  number  of  modern  expositors,  as  Calvin, 
Tholuck,  Olsliausen,  Wiesinger,  Ebrard,  Van 
Oosterzee,  Hofinann,  Fairbairn,  EUicott,  and 
"Wordsworth.  Others,  as  De  Wette,  Huther, 
and  Alford,  dissent,  but,  though  referring  the 
words  to  God  the  Father,  the}',  for  the  most 
part,  insist  that  the  passage  is  a  strong  testi- 
mony to  the  supreme  divinity  of  Christ,  be- 
cause of  the  intimate  association  in  it  of  Christ 
with  the  Father. 

14.  Who  gave  himself  for  us.  Christ 
'gave  himself;  his  offering  was  purely  volun- 
tary (John  10:11-18;  17:19);  and  it  was  nothing  less 
than  himself,  his  own  divine  human  person- 
alitj- — "Himself,  his  whole  self,  the  greatest 
gift  ever  given."  (Giii.  i:*;  Eph.  5:25.)  'Forus'; 
the  preposition  does  not  necessarily  signify  in- 
stead of,  but  only,  in  behalf  of ;  but  in  this 
context,  where  it  is  said,  he  gave  himself  .  .  . 
to  redeem,,  and  consequently,  as  the  ransom 
price,  it  is  impossible  to  exclude  the  idea  of  a 
substitution  of  himself  for  us.  (Acts 20:28;  1  Tim. 
2:6;  1  Peieri:i8, 19;  3:18.)  That  he  might  re- 
deem us  from  all  iniquity.  '  Might  redeem  ' 
(AuTpiiffTiTai);  might  free  us  by  means  of  a  ran- 
som paid.       (Matt.  20:  28;  Murk  10:45  ;  Eph.  1:7.)       ^  Ini- 

qiiity  (avoiLia),  lawlessness ;  whatever  in  us  is 
unconformed,  or  opposed,  to  the  divine  l^w. 
Thus,  in  Rom.  6: 14..*(m(ajixopTia\  is,  in  like  man- 
ner, conceived  as  a  master,  holding  the  soul  in 
bondage,  but  from  whose  control  Christ  frees 
us.  Tiie  apostle  spt^iiks  here  of  a  redemption, 
not  from   the  condemnation,    but    from   the 


power  of  sin,  from  sin  as  an  active,  controlling 
principle  within  us.  The  two  cannot,  how- 
ever, be  disjoined,  except  in  thought;  for 
sanctiiication,  or  deliverance  from  the  sin- 
power,  is  everywhere  represented  as  a  result  of 
justification,  or  deliverance  from  condemna- 
tion. See  especially  Romans,  chapters  6  and  7. 
This  redemption /rum  nil  iniquity,  lawlessness, 
has  as  its  final  result  perfect  conformity  to 
law  ;  "that  the  righteousness  of  the  law  might 
be  fulfilled  in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh 
but  after  the  Spirit."  (Rom. 8:4.)  And  purify 
unto  himself  a  peculiar  people  {a  people 
for  his  own  possession),  zealous  of  good 
works — or,  a  people  pec^diarly  his  own.  'Pe- 
culiar'— the  Common  Version  is  unfortunate 
here,  as  giving  by  this  word  the  idea  that 
Christians  are  to  be  peculiar  in  the  sense  of 
being  unlike  others,  whereas  the  thought  is, 
that  they,  in  a  special  or  peculiar  sense,  belong 
to  Christ,  and  that  the  badge  of  his  ownership 
in  them  is  their  zeal  for  good  works.  As 
Israel  in  the  Old  Testament  are  represented  as 
God's  chosen  people,  his  peculiar  tre;isure 
(Exod.  19:5, 6;  Deut.  7:6;  14:2),  SO  in  tile  New  Tes- 
tament Christians  are  Christ's  special  people, 
given  to  him  by  the  Father  (J"hn  6:37;  17:6-8), 
forming  the  body  of  which  he  is  the  head 
(Eph.  1:22, 23;  Col.  1:18),  and  made  to  him  "a 
chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy 
nation,  •dpeculiar  people,"  that  is,  a  people  spe- 
cially his  own.  (1  l'et€r2;9.)  "  Christ  JcSUS,  OUT 
Great  God  and  Saviour,  redeemed  us  to  him- 
self, in  order  that  he  might  make  a  Christian 
people  peculiar  to  himself,  who  should  then 
indeed  be  peculiarly  his,  if  they  proved  to  be 
zealous  of  good  works."  (Jerome.)  "Here, 
also,  as  in  Eph.  5:  25-27,  Paul  brings  forward 
the  thought,  that  atonement  for  sin  in  itself, 
although  the  first,  is  by  no  means  the  last  and 
the  highest  end  of  the  sacrifice  of  Chiist,  but 
becomes  the  means,  further,  for  the  attain- 
ment of  a  higher,  yea,  the  highest  end,  the 
sanctification  of  the  pardoned  sinner,  and  his 
renewal  after  the  glorious  image  of  God." 
(Van  Oosterzee. )  He  came,  not  only  to  deliver 
us  from  all  condemnation,  but  also,  through 
this  deliverance,  to  purify  us  from  all  sin ; 
hence  the  evidence  that  we  are  Christ's  own  is 


Ch.  III.] 


TITUS. 


141 


15  These  things  speak,  and  exhort,  and  rebuke  with  |  15      These  things  speak  and  exhort  and  reprove  with 

all  authority.    Let  no  man  despise  theu.  |       all  >  authority.     Lui  no  man  despise  ihec. 

CHAPTER  III. 


PUT  them  in  mind  to  be  subject  to  principalities  and 
powers,  to  obey  magistrates,  to  Ije  ready  to  every 
good  work. 

2  To  speak  evil  of  no  man,  to  be  no  brawlers,  but  gen- 
tle, shewing  all  meekness  unto  all  men. 


1  Put   them  in  mind  to  be  iu  subjection  to  rulers, 
to  authorities,  to  be  oliedient,  to  be  ready  unto  every 

2  good  work,  to  speak  evil  of  no  man,  not  to  be  eou- 
leutious,  to  be  gentle,  shewing  all  meekness  toward 


1  Or.  eommandmetit. 


that  we  bear  his  moral  lilceness  and  walk  in 
ii is  steps.  '  Zealous  of  good  works.'  "Wliu- 
ever  is  confident  in  him  as  our  Saviour,  who 
gave  himself  for  us,  should  also  be  zealous  of 
good  works,  since  this  was  the  purpose  for 
which  he  gave  himself  for  us;  and  whoever 
lives  in  tlie  hope  that  he  will  reveal  himself  as 
our  God  in  glory,  he  should  show  by  his  con- 
duct in  this  present  time  that  he  is  awaiting 
such  a  revelation  of  him,  who  for  such  a  pur- 
pose gave  himself  for  us."     (Hofmann.) 

15.  These  things  speak,  and  exhort,  and 
rebuke  with  all  authority.  '  These  things' 
— the  duties  mentioned  in  verses  1-10.  'Spesik, 
and  exhort ' — the  general  duty  of  Titus  toward 
all  his  hearers.  'Rebuke' — a  special  duty 
toward  the  careless  and  disobedient.  'With 
all  authority' — or,  authoritativeness — that  is, 
with  all  the  authority  belonging  to  his  office, 
"with  every  sort  of  imperative  earnestness,  as 
of  one  having  a  right  to  enjoin."  Let  no 
man  despise  thee — do  not  suffer  thy  author- 
ity to  be  despised.  Here  the  thought  is.  not 
as  1  Tim.  4:  11,  "Let  no  man  despise  thy 
youth" — that  is,  give  no  occasion  to  any  one 
to  despise  thee,  but  rather,  do  not  permit  thj' 
authority'  to  be  disregarded  ;  insist  firmlj'  on 
obedience.  Tlie  reason  for  this  injunction  to 
self-assertion  probably  lay  in  the  Cretan  char- 
acter, which  could  be  best  influenced  by  au- 
tiiority.  "Mere  doctrine  is  not  enottgh.  Thou 
must  exhort  and  rebuke  with  all  earnestness, 
and  not  suffer  thyself  to  be  despised."  (Hed- 
inger. ) 

Ch.  3  :  1,  2.  The  Conduct  to  bk  Rk- 
QUiRED  OF  Christians  in  their  Rela- 
tions TO  Government  and  to  Society. — 
Titus  is  enjoined  to  remind  them — 1.  To 
subject  themselves  to  the  civil  authori- 
ties; and,  2.  To  exercise  the  virtues  of  good 
citizens  and  healthful  members  of  society. 

1.  Put  them  in  mind— as  of  a  duty  already 
known,  but  in  danger  of  being  forgotten.   To 


be  subject  to  principalities  and  powers, 
to  obey  magistrates..  The  direction  is  de- 
signed to  cover  all  the  Christian's  relations  to 
tlie  State,  whether  to  the  supreme  govern- 
ment, to  governors,  or  to  others  in  subordi- 
nate autht>rity ;  in  all  these  relations,  he  is  to 
maintain  the  attitude  of  subjection;  except 
when  obedience  to  human  authority  would  be 
disobedience  to  God ;  and  even  then,  while 
declining  to  obey,  he  is  to  submit  to  the  pen- 
alty. (Aots4:i9, 20;  6:29.)  In.subordii)ati<)n  to 
civil  authority,  especially  to  the  hated  Roman 
dominion,  was  a  common  temptation  of  the 
Jews,  as  the  frequent  and  bloody  insurrections 
of  that  period  show.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
especially  common  among  the  Cretans,  who 
had  formerly  lived  under  democratic  institu- 
tions, and  who,  since  the  subjection  of  the 
island  to  Rome,  B.  c.  67,  had  engaged  in  fre- 
quent and  bloody  rebellions.  (Polybius  11.40.) 
This  was  also  a  false  charge  made  against 
Christians,  and  was  a  not  unfrequent  pretext 
for  their  persecution.  Hence  the  more  ur- 
gently Christ  iind  the  apostles  enjoin  on  them 
a  quiet  submission  to  the  powers  that  be.  (M.-m. 

23  :  21  ;  Rnm.  l.t :  1-7  ;  I  Tim.  2:1,2;  1  Peier  2  :  J:t-17.)       To     bC 

ready  to  every  good  work— prompt  and 
hearty  in  obedience  to  every  righteous  law, 
and  in  doing  what  befits  loyal  citizen.s  and 
good  men.  To  those  so  doing,  rulers  are  not  a 
"terror,"  rather,  they  are  "for  the  j)raise  of 
them  that  do  well."     (pmi.4:».) 

2  To  speak  evil  of  no  man.  This  does 
not  refer  to  speaking  evil  of  rulers  only  (Acts 
23:.');  2Peter2:io;  judcs),  but  forbids  indulgence  in 
slander  or  evil  speaking  of  any  one.  It  pro- 
hibits  all    uncharitable  talk.     (Pror.  i7:9:  Eph  *-. 

29-,32 ;    Col.  3:8;    Jumcs  1  :  26  ;  •» :  12  ;  1  Peter  2:1;  3:9;  Ju.ie  9.) 

To  be  no  brawlers — not  to  he  contentious — 
not  quarrelsome,  or  disposed  to  dispute  or 
wrangle.  (iTim.  3:.3)  But  gentle — the  word 
signifies  to  be  moderate  in  one's  passions,  fair, 
equitable;    then    to   be   forbearing,    clement. 

(Pbtl.  4:5;    1   Tiiu.  3:3;    Jamci   .'<:17.)        ShOWiU^     all 


142 


TITUS. 


[Ch.  III. 


3  For  we  ourselves  also  were  sometime  foolish,  dis- 
obedient, deceived,  serving  divers  lusts  and  pleasures, 
living  in  malice  and  envy,  hateful,  (uul  hating  one 
anotlier. 

4  But  after  that  the  kindness  and  love  of  God  our 
Saviour  toward  man  appeared. 


3  all  men.  For  we  also  were  aforetime  foolish,  dis- 
obedient, deceived,  serving  divers  lusts  and  pleas- 
ures, livitg  in  malice  and  envy,  hateful,  bating  one 

4  another.     But    when     the    kindness    of    God    our 


meekness  {gentleness)  to  all  men.  (icor. 4: 
2i;Gai.6:i.)  The  believer,  in  all  the  relations 
of  life,  is  to  be,  in  spirit  and  bearing,  gentle, 
kind,  considerate;  and  this,  not  to  friends 
only,  but  to  all  classes  of  men. 

3  -  7»  Such  Dispositions  and  Con- 
duct Toward  Others,  Enforced  and 
Illustrated  by  God's  Kindness  and 
Mercy  to  us. — 1.  We  ourselves  were  once, 
like  others,  foolish  and  sinful,  enslaved  to 
pleasures  and  lusts,  and  filled  with  unholy  dis- 
positions; yet  God's  kindness  and  love  to  man 
w^as  niiinifested  in  saving  us.  (3,  4.)  2.  This 
salvation  had  its  source,  not  in  works  wrought 
in  righteousness  by  us,  but  solely  in  God's 
mercy;  it  was  made  effectual  for  us  by  means 
of  the  regeneration  and  renewal  effected  by 
the  Holy  Spirit;  and  it  has  for  its  end,  to 
make  us,  through  our  justification  by  God's 
grace,  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal 
life.     (5-7.) 

3.  For  we  ourselves  also — as  a  reason  for 
this  forbearance  and  gentleness  toward  others, 
he  now  cites  their  own  former  character  and 
life  in  sin,  and  the  forbearance  and  kindness 
of  God  to  them  ;  but  using  the  first  person,  he 
includes  in  the  statement  himself  and  all 
Christians,  while  in  the  old,  sinful  life.  See 
the  similar  contrast  betvveen  the  Christian's 
past  and  present  state,  especially  Eph.  2  :  2-13, 
but  also,  Kom.  6:17;  11:30;  1  Cor.  6:11; 
Eph.  4  :  17-24;  5:8;  Col.  1  :  21 ;  8  :  7,  8. 
Were  sometimes  (o7ice)  foolish — without 
spiritual  understanding,  or  the  true  knowledge 
of  spiritual  things;  "having  the  understand- 
ing darkened,  being  alienated  from  the  life  of 
God,  through  the  ignorance  that  is  in  them, 
because  of  the  blindness  of  their  heart." 
(Eph.  4:18.)  Disobedient — that  is,  to  God,  as 
the  thought  now  turns  to  spiritual  relations. 
This  is  the  attitude  of  the  natural  heart  toward 
God;  "the  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against 
God  ;  for  it  's  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God, 
neither  indeed  can  be."  (Rom.  8-.7.)  Deceived 
— or,    led  astray,    from   God   and    rectitude. 

(2  Tim.  3  :  !.■? ;  Matt.  IS:  li;  1  Tim.  3:6;  1  Peter  •i:2j.)  Serv- 
ing (aS  slaVCS)  diVBTS   lusts   and  pleasures. 

The  service  to  these  was  slavery.     They  were 


impelled,  driven  by  their  own  lusts  and  pleas- 
ures, as  the  slave  is  driven  by  a  master.     (Rom. 

6:  16;  16  :  18  ;  Eph.  'i  :  3  ;  2  Tim.  3:6.)    Living  in   malice 

and  envy — as  their  habitual  dispositions,  the 
element  in  which  their  lives  moved.  They 
meditated  and  sought  evil  to  others,  and 
grudged  and  fretted  at  the  good  others  pos- 
sessed.       (Eph.  4:. 11;  Col.  3:8;  1  John  3: 12-)        HatCful 

and  hating  one  another — with  chamcters 
and  dispositions  such  as  to  awaken,  and  keep 
active,  hatred  one  to  tiie  other.  In  social  life, 
as  man  was  related  to  man,  instead  of  mututil 
sympathy,  there  was  mutual  repulsion,  thus 
dissolving  the  very  bonds  of  society.  These 
fearful  results  of  sin,  as  seen  in  heathenism, 
are  more  fully  depicted  in  Rom.  1  :  29-32. 

4.  But  after  that  the  kindness  and  love 
of  God  our  Saviour  toward  man  ap- 
peared. '  Kindness  '  (xpijo-tottjs)  —  goodness 
practically  manifested,  benevolence  shown  in 

act.       (Rom.  2:4  ;  11  :  22:    Eph.  2:7.)       '  LoVC    tOWard 

man  '  {\in\aveptanCa) — love  as  specially  exercised 
toward  men;  a  quality  ascribed  to  men  (Acta 
28  : 2),  and  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testament 
only  used  here.  The  two  words  are  here 
closely  related,  and  are  intended  to  place  God, 
in  his  dispositions  and  conduct  towaTd  men,  in 
contrast  with  sinful  men,  who  live  (ver.  3)  in 
malice  and  envy,  hateful  and  hating  one  an- 
other. The  argument  is:  "  The  goodness  and 
love  of  God  to  man,  on  which  our  salvtition  is 
based,  should  lead  us  to  show  benevolence  and 
gentleness  to  all  men."  (Huther.)  If  God 
showed  such  kindness  and  love  to  men  as  he 
has  manifested  in  saving  us,  we  also  ouglit  to 
show  kindness  and  love  to  all  men  :  John  3  : 
16;  1  John  4  :  7-12;  compare  Matt.  18  :  32,  33. 
'God  our  Saviour' — here,  as  elsewhere  in  these 
epistles,  God  the  Father,  as  the  Author  or 
Source  of  our  salvation  :  2  :  13;  1  Tim.  1:1; 
compare  2  Cor.  5  :  18 ;  1  John  4:  9.  "The 
whole  of  the  passage  which  now  follows  has  a 
great  similarity  with  ch.  2  :  11-14,  and  yet  litis 
a  chanicter  entirely  its  own.  There  the  apos- 
tle, in  order  to  stimulate  to  Christian  devout- 
ness,  exhibited  the  holy  aim  of  the  redemp- 
tion which  men  obtain  through  Christ;  here, 
on  the  other  hand,  in  contrast  with  the  entire 


Ch.  Ill] 


TITUS. 


143 


5  Not  by  works  of  righteousness  which  we  have  done, 
but  according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the  washing 
of  regeueraliou,  aud  renewing  of  the  Holy  CihosL; 


5  Saviour,  and  his  love  toward  man,  appeared,  not  by- 
works  (lone  in  righteousness,  which  we  did  our- 
selves, but  according  to  his  luercy  he  savi  d  us, 
through  the  '  washing  of  regeneration  -  aud  rmew- 


1  Or,  laver i  Or,  and  through  rentviing. 


un worthiness  of  unbelievers,  lie  dwells  upon 
the  grace  shown  to  them,  in  order  to  incite 
them  to  a  gratitude  which  shall  first  of  all 
manifest  itself  in  love  toward  those  who  have 
not  yet  attained  the  priceless  privileges  of  be- 
lievers."    (Van  Oosterzee.) 

5.  Not  by  works  of  righteousness  which 
we  have  done — that  is,  not  by  virtue  of,  in 
consequence  of,  our  works.  The  pronoun  'we' 
is  emphatic  ;  he  did  not  save  us  because  of,  or 
on  the  ground  of,  righteous  works  that  we  did. 
Righteous  works  performed  by  us  were  not 
the  meritorious  cause,  nor  the  influencing  mo- 
tive of  liis  saving  us.  'Of  {in)  righteousness' 
— the  sphere,  or  element,  of  the  works  denied. 
Which  we  did — not  'have  done,'  as  the  Com- 
mon "Version.  The  aorist  form  of  the  verb 
makes  the  denial  of  merit  in  us,  as  the  ground 
of  his  saving  us,  universal;  it  was  not  our 
works,  either  already  done,  or  foreseen  as  to 
be  done  by  us,  that  moved  him  to  save  us. 
But  according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us — 
"after  the  measure  of,  in  pursuance  of,  after 
the  promptings  of"  his  mercy.  The  real 
ground  of  his  saving  us  was  in  himself,  not  in 
us.  The  mercy  of  God — his  own,  self-moved, 
spontaneous  compassion,  apart  from  all  deserv- 
ing in  us— originated  and  wrought  our  salva- 
tion, "ife  saved  us;  not  for  foreseen  works 
of  ours,  but  of  his  own  free  grace  and  mercy 
alone.  Works  must  be  in  the  saved  (where 
is  room  for  them),  but  not  among  the  causes 
of  salvation;  they  are  the  way  to  the  king- 
dom, not  tlie  meriting  price  of  it;  all  is  upon 
the  footing  of  undeserved  favor  from  first  to 
last.  Election  is  of  grace;  we  are  chosen  to 
be  holy,  not  because  it  was  antecedently  seen 
that  we  should  be  so.  (F.ph.  i:4.)"  (Henry.) 
Compare  2  Thess.  2  :  13;  2  Tim.  1:9;  Eph. 
2  :  8.  Observe,  nothing  is  here  said  of  faith  as 
a  condition  of  salvation,  because  the  apostle  is 
speaking  of  salvation  wholly  on  its  divine 
side,  as  originating,  not  in  response  to  some- 
thing existing  in,  or  done  by,  man,  but  en- 
tirely within  God  himself,  springing  sponta- 
neously from  his  mercy.  (Rom.  3 :  20. 2*:  F.ph.  2 :  ;mo) 
Through  the  washing  of  regeneration. 
The    apostle    now  states    the  divine   acts    by 


wiiich  the  salvation,  thus  originated,  is  made 
etfectual  to  men;  namely,  the  regeneration 
and  sanctification  of  the  soul;  divine  acts, 
which,  like  the  salvation  itself,  are  prompted, 
not  by  men's  deserving?,  but  by  God's  lu-cven- 
ient  grace.  'Washing'  (AouTpoi-)— found  in  the 
New  Testament  only  here  and  in  Eph.  5  :  2(i; 
literally  denotes  a  bath,  either  (1)  the  place  or 
water  in  which  a  bath  is  taken,  or  (2)  the 
act  of  bathing  or  washing,  as  Eccles.  31  :  30. 
See  Lexicons  of  Crcmer,  llobinson,  Tha3'i-r's 
Grimm's  Wilke.  It  probably  has  allusion 
here  to  the  immersion  which  took  place 
in  baptism,  either  to  the  laver,  or  place,  in 
which  that  was  performed,  or  to  the  act  of 
baptism  itself.  "A  reference  to  baptisn), 
which  might  all  the  more  easily  be  exhibitfd 
as.  a  lnve7'  {\ovTp6v),  since  it  was  originally 
performed  by  the  entire  submersion  of  the  per- 
son baptized."  (Van  Oosterzee.)  'Regener- 
ation '  (naKivyevecTia),  which  is  used  Only  here 
and  in  Matt.  19  :  28,  signifies  a  re-birth.  Here 
it  is  applied  to  the  re-birth  of  the  soul,  as 
John  3  :  3,  5,  "born  again  "  ;  in  the  other  pas- 
sage, it  relates  to  the  re-birth  of  external  na- 
ture which  will  take  place  at  the  Second  Com- 
ing of  Chri.st,  when  the  earth  itself,  as  well  as 
redeetned  man,  shall  be  delivered  from  the 
weakness  and  pollution  of  sin,  and  shall  be 
changed  into  the  purity  and  splendor  which 
befit  his  everlasting  kingdom. 

The  question  to  be  raised  on  this  passage  is: 
Does  the  apostle  use  the  term  'washing'  liter- 
ally, to  designate  the  outward  rite  of  baptism, 
and  thus  affirm  that  this  rite  is  the  instrument 
of  regeneration?  Or  is  it  used  figuratively, 
the  sign  being  put  for  the  thing  signified,  the 
outward  washing  of  water  for  the  inward 
cleansing  of  the  Holy  Spirit?  The  latter  in- 
terpretation, according  to  which  the  words 
present  the  divine  act  of  the  Spirit  in  regener- 
ation, seems  to  me  an  absolute  exegetical  ne- 
cessity. For  1.  The  apostle  is  speaking  here, 
not  of  human  acts,  but  exclusively  of  the 
divine  impulsion  and  the  divine  acts  in  the 
matter  of  man's  salvation.  To  interpolate  into 
this  series  of  divine  acts,  or  to  identify  with 
any  one  act  of  this  series  a  purely  human  act, 


144 


TITUS. 


[Ch.  III. 


such  as  the  outward  rite  of  baptism,  would  be 
utterly  inconsistent  with  the  whole  scope  of 
the  passage.  The  literal  interpretation,  there- 
fore, would  contravene  a  plain,  exegetical  law. 
2.  In  the  related  passage  (Eph.  5:25, 26j,  Paul, 
when  speaking  of  Christ's  love  for  the  church, 
says,  according  to  the  Revised  Version,  he 
gave  himself  up  for  it,  that  he  might  sanctify 
it,  having  cleansed  it  by  the  loashing  of  water 

with    the    word    (Ka9api(xai  Tw  AouTpw  Tov  iiSaro?  ev 

prjtuiTi).  Here  the  words  "having  cleansed  it 
b3'  the  washing  of  water"  are  qualified  by  the 
appended  clause,  "with  the  word,"  clearly 
showing  that  baptism  is  referred  to  only  as  the 
outward  symbol  of  an  inward  cleansing,  ef- 
fected by  means  of  the  divine  word,  as  else- 
where it  is  said  of  Christians  "that  they  are 
"born  again  by  the  word  of  God."  (i  Peter  i : 
23 ;  James  1 :  18.)  Hc  thus  Carefully  gutxrds  against 
the  idea  that  the  inward  cleansing,  or  regener- 
ation, is  effected  by  the  outward  baptism.  3. 
It  is  evident,  also,  that  all  those  passages 
which  require  regeneration  prior  to  baptism 
forbid  the  interpretation  here  that  baptism  is 
the  instrument  or  means  of  regeneration. 
The  apostolic  commission  directs  the  ministry 
first  to  disciple,  and  then  to  baptize  (Matt.  28:19); 
and  this  order  is  never  reversed  in  the  New 
Testament,  but  is  constantly  exemplified  in 
the  apostolic  history.  (Acts  2 :  41 ;  8 :  12.)  Eegen- 
eration,  therefore,  precedes  baptism,  and  can- 
not be  an  effect  of  it.  4.  The  conception  of  an 
outward  rite,  either  as  in  itself  effecting  a  spir- 
itual change,  or  as  eflSciently  conveying  divine 
grace,  is  strongly  condemned  by  Scripture. 
Paul,  in  his  great  argument  agaitist  the  Jew- 
ish ritualists  (Rom. 2)  closes  with  these  words: 
"  For  he  is  not  a  Jew  which  is  one  outwardly; 
neither  is  that  circumcision  which  is  outward 
in  the  flesh;  but  he  is  a  Jew  who  is  one  in- 
wardly, and  circumcision  is  that  of  the  heart, 
in  the  spirit  and  not  in  the  letter,  whose  praise 
is  not  of  men,  but  of  God" — a  passage  which 
denies,  in  the  most  positive  manner,  that  a 
mere  outward  rite  has  power,  either  in  itself 
or  as  a  means,  to  impart  spiritual  character  to 
the  soul,  or  to  change  a  man's  relations  to  God. 
6.  The  one  condition  of  salvation  in  the  New 
Testament  is  personal  faith  in  Christ,  a  spir- 
itual, not  a  ritual  condition.  "  Believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved," 
is  God's  word.  Christ  does,  indeed,  say:  "  He 
that  believethand  is  baptized  shall  be  saved"; 


but  he  immediately  adds — not,  he  that  is  not 
baptized  shall  be  lost,  but,  "he  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  damned."  He  thus  clearlyshows 
that  salvation  is  necessarily  connected,  not 
with  baptism,  but  with  faith;  a  grace  that 
presupposes  regeneration.  (JoUu  3  :  u,  46;  6  :  35 
11:25, 26;  iJohnS:  1.)  6.  The  facts  of  experience, 
also,  show  that  baptism  has  no  power  to  re- 
generate ;  for  many  baptized  persons,  not  only 
give  no  evidence  of  a  regenerate  character, 
but  furnish  the  most  palpable  evidence  to  the 
contrary.  Finally,  baptismal  regeneration,  in 
whatever  form  held,  has  proved  one 'of  the 
most  fatal  errors  in  the  history  of  Christianity. 
It  is  precisely  the  doctrine  of  aiKdent  Phari- 
seeism,  which  regarded  circumcision  as  in- 
suring salvation,  even  irrespective  of  the  per- 
sonal character ;  and  its  necessary  effect,  as  all 
history  has  shown,  is  to  destroy  in  men's  souls 
a  sense  of  the  need  of  that  great  spiritual 
change  which  is  wrought  alone  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  of  which  the  Lord  spake  when  he 
said.  Ye  must  be  born  again.  Evidently, 
then,  'the  washing  of  regeneration'  is  a  figur- 
ative expression,  the  sign  being  put  for  the 
thing  signified — a  figure  relating  to  this  sub- 
ject, of  constant  recurrence  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment (Aot#  22  :  16;  Gal.  3  :  27  ;  Eph.  6  :  26 ;  Col.  2  :  12;  1  Peter 

3  :  21) ;  and  the  interpretation  of  it  as  aflBrming 
that  the  outward  rite  is  the  instrument,  or 
means,  of  regeneration,  is  at  variance  with  the 
scope  of  the  passage,  the  analogy  of  Scripture, 
and  the  evident  facts  of  human  experience. 
It  is  evident,  also,  that  this  conclusion  is 
equally  certain  if,  with  some  interpreters,  we 
translate  the  adjoined  clause  '''even  the  renew- 
ing of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  making  it  exegetical 
of  the  first  clause;  for  in  that  case,  the  lonsh- 
ing  of  regeneration  is  necessarily  a  figurative, 
and  not  a  literal  expression.  And  the  re- 
ncAving  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Renewing 
(avaKa.Lvo><Ti.<;) — if  We  regard  the  analogy  of  Rom. 
12  :  2,  as  also  of  those  passages  in  which  the 
verb  is  used,  2  Cor.  4  :  16;  Eph.  4  :  23;  Col. 
8  :  10 — refers  to  the  work  of  sanctification,  or 
the  continuous  renewal  by  the  Spirit  of  that 
spiritual  life  in  the  soul  which  was  begun  in 
regeneration.  'Renewing'  is  simply  the  de- 
velopment and  extension  of  regeneration,  a 
continuous  work  of  the  Spirit  within  the  soul, 
through  which  the  new  spiritual  life  advances 
toward  com))lete  supremacy  and  possession, 
permeating,  purifying,  and  ennobling  all  the 


Ch.  III.] 


TITUS. 


145 


6  Which  he  shed  on  us  abundantly  through  Jesus  |  6  ing  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  he  poured  out  upon 
Christ  our  Saviour;  7  us  richly,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  .Saviour;  that, 

7  That  being  justified   by  his   grace,  we   sliould  be  being   justified    by   liis  grace,    we   might   be   made 
made  heirs  according  to  the  hope  ol' eternal  life.                 | 


fiiculties  of  the  man,  until  he  is  transformed 
into  the  full  image  of  Clirist.  (2  cor.  3 :  is ;  Epu. 
« ;  13.)  These  divine  acts,  7-cgeneration  and  re- 
netoing,  by  which  salvation  is  made  eflectutil 
to  our  souls,  are  manifestations  of  the  kind- 
ness and  love  of  our  Saviour  God  to  us,  which, 
the  apostle  argues,  should  lead  us  to  show 
kindness  and  love  to  others. 

6.  Which  he  shed  on  us  abundantly 
(poured  forth  on  us  nchly) — thus  fulfilling 
the  promistrs  of  the  Old  Covenant  respecting 
the  pouring  out  of  his  Spirit.  ( Joei  2 :  28-32 ;  joiin 
7:37-39.)  Spirit  (irveufiia) — literally,  signifies 
breath,  wind,  or  air  in  motion.  In  accordance 
with  this  conception,  the  Holy  Spirit  is  repre- 
sented in  a  figurative  usage,  as  poured  out 
upon  us,  as  of  a  liquid  transfusing  or  flowing 
over  us.  (Acts  2: 17,  is,  33.)  In  like  manner  we 
are  said  to  be  baptized  or  itnmersed  in  the 
Spirit,  as  the  body  is  enveloped,  pervaded  by 
the  air;  as  also,  Christians  are  cominanded  to 
live,  to  walk,  to  prsiy  "in  the  Spirit,''  as  the 
element  in  which  the  moral  life  exists  and 
acts.  In  all  these,  the  richness  and  fullness  of 
the  Spirit's  presence,  and  the  power  and  com- 
pleteness of  his  influence  find  axpression. 
Through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour — as  the 
medium  through  which  the  Spirit's  presence 
is  secured  to  us.  The  coming  of  the  Heavenly 
Comforter,  in  the  fullness  of  his  power,  is  the 
direct  result  of  the  sacrifice  and  intercession 
of  Christ.  Jesus  said :  "  I  will  pray  the  Father. 
and  he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that 
he  may  abide  with  you  forever,  even  the  Spirit 

of    truth."         (John  U  :  16.  26;    15:  26;  16  :  7:  Act32:  33; 

2  Cor.  1 :  21, 22.)  Obscrvc  the  presence  and  agency 
of  the  whole  Trinity  in  the  work  of  our  salva- 
tion. It  has  its  source  in  "the  kindness  and 
love-to-man  of  the  Father,"  "who  shed  on 
us  the  Holy  Ghost  abundantly";  it  comes 
"through  Jesus  Christ  otir  Saviour,"  who 
"died  for  us,"  and  "ever  liveth  to  make  inter- 
cession for  us  "  ;  and  it  is  made  efi\'ctual  in  the 
soul  "by  the  washing  of  regenertition  and  the 
renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

7.  That— expressing  the  design  of  God  in 
saving  us  through  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  Holy  Spirit  was  given  for  con- 
viction of  sin  and  the   inward   revelation  of 


Christ  (John  16: 8, 14),  thus  leading  to  faith  and 
consequent  justification.  Ueing  justitied  by 
his  grace.  Justification,  with  Paul,  is  not 
negative  merely,  the  non-imputation  of  sin, 
freedom  from  guilt;  but  therein  the  soul  is 
divinely  declared  righteous,  as  clothed  with 
all  the  righteousness  of  Christ;  and  it  is  pre- 
cisely in  this  new  and  exalted  relation,  as  a  justi- 
fied soul,  is  developed  a  new  and  holy  diame- 
ter and  life.  Justification,  therefore,  can  never 
be  disjoined  from  saiictificatioii,  as  the  apostle 
shows  in  Rom.  6.  It  originates  in  the  free,  un- 
merited favor  of  God,  and  even  the  faith  which 
appropriates  it  is  "the  gift  of  God."  (Rom. 3: 
24;  5: 15;  11 : 5, 6;  Eph.  2 : 8-10.)  We  should  be  made 
heirs.  Justification,  with  its  holy  fruits,  is 
essential  to  a  consciousness  of  the  adoption, 
which  makes  us  children,  and  consequently 
"heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Christ." 
(Rom.  8: 1417.)  It  was  promised  to  Abraham 
that  he  "should  be  the  heir  of  the  world" 
(Kom.  4;i3),  because  from  him  Christ  should 
arise,  who  was  appointed  "heir  of  all  things" 
(Heb.  1:2),  and  through  whom  the  glorious  in- 
heritance of  eternal  life  shall  be  given  to  all 
believers  (oai. 3:26-29;  4: 4-7) ;  an  inheritance  of 
which  the  Christian  hasalread\'  "  theetirnest," 
in  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (Rph.  1 :  14), 
and  which,  in  its  glory  and  perpetuity,  is  de- 
picted as  "an  inheritance  incorruptible  and 
undefiled  and  that  fadeth  not  away."  (1  Peter 
1:4.)  According  to  the  hope  of  eternal 
life — that  is,  "in  pursuance  of,"  "agreeably 
to,"  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  The  grand  in- 
heritance in  prospect  for  believers  is  eternal 
life,  which,  though  now  possessed  in  its  begin- 
nings, is  set  before  them  as  an  object  of  hope, 
the  goal  of  their  earthly  course  (Rom.  8:18-24), 
and  of  which,  in  the  inconceivable  wealth  of 
its  meanin'j,  they  have  been  constituted  heirs. 

(1:2;  M:irklO  :  30;  Jolin  3:16;  4: 14;  10:28;  Acta  13:  46;  Rom.  6: 

22;  1  Tim.  6:12.)  "We  thank  this  grace  that,  in- 
stead of  being  delivered  by  our  guilt  to  eter- 
nal death,  we  have  come  into  such  relation 
to  God  as  to  be  heirs  of  eternal  life.  For  we 
should  nothavereceivedtheHoly  Spirit,  restor- 
ing us  anew  to  a  holy  life, — with  the  reception 
of  whom  we  entered  into  heirship  of  eternal 
life,— had  it  not  been  for  the  grace  of  Christ,  by 


K 


146 


TITUS. 


[Ch.  ni. 


8  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  these  things  I  will 
that  thou  affirm  constantly,  that  they  which  have 
believed  in  tjod  miglit  be  careful  to  maintain  good 
works.  These  things  are  good  and  protitable  unto 
lUen. 

y  But  avoid  foolish  questions,  and  genealogies,  and 
contentions,  and  strivings  about  the  law;  for  they  are 
unprofitable  and  vain. 


8  1  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  Faith- 
ful is  the  saying,  and  concerning  these  tilings  1  will 
that  thou  affirm  confidently,  to  the  end  that  they 
who  have  believed  God  may  be  careful  to  '  maintan 
good  works.     These  tilings  are  gnod  and  profitable 

9  unto  men  :  but  shun  foolish  questionings,  and  gene- 
alogies, aud   strifes,  aud   fightings   about  the  law  ; 


1  Or,  heirs  according  to  hope  of  eternal  life 2  O^,  profess  honest  occupations. 


which  we  ohtained  that  righteousness  before 
God,  wliich  made  us  worthy  of  eternal  life 
and  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  .  .  .  Without  merit 
in  us,  God  has  redeemed  us  from  the  bond- 
age of  our  former  life  in  sin,  and  has  given 
us  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  whom  we  now 
stand  in  a  new  life;  and  if  by  virtue  of  that 
we  are  now  heirs  of  eternal  life,  we  owe  this  to 
the  grace  of  Christ,  through  which  we  were 
made  righteous  before  God."     (Hofmann.) 

Of  this  remarkable  passage  in  ver.  3-7, 
Farrar  has  well  said  :  "  If  any  one  were  asked 
to  fix  on  two  passages  which  contained  the 
essence  of  all  Pauline  theology,  he  would 
surely  select  E,om.  3  :  21-26  and  Titus  3:5-7; 
and  the  latter,  though  less  polemical,  is  in 
some  respects  the  more  complete." 

8-11.  This  Doctrine  of  a  Gratuitous 
Salvation  to  be  Strongly  Insisted  on 
AS  AN  Incitement  to  Good  Works. — 1. 
The  apostle  wills  that  Titus  strongly  affirm 
this  doctrine,  in  order  that  believers  may  be 
careful  to  maintain  good  works;  but  foolish 
controversies  and  genealogies  and  strifes  about 
the  law  he  is  to  avoid,  as  useless  and  hurtful. 
(8,  9.)  2.  A  schismatic,  after  a  first  and  second 
admonition,  he  is  to  shun  ;  since,  by  refusing 
to  yield  to  admonition,  such  an  one  is  shown  to 
be  perverted,  and  to  be  sinning  although  self- 
condemned.     (10,  11.) 

8.  This  is  a  faithful  saying— that  i.s,  the 
statement  in  ver.  4-7,  as  to  God's  gratuitous 
bestowal  of  salvation.  '  Faithful '  :  worthy  of 
confidence,  assuredly  true.  (i  Tim.  i :  i5;  3  :i; 
4:9:2  Tim,  2 :  11.)  And  {cnnceminff)  these  things 
I  AVill  that  thou  affirm  constantly  {confi- 
dently)— or,  possibly  constantly  insist,  "  make 
them  the  constant  subjects  of  thy  preaching." 
Compare  1  Tim.  1:7.  These  things:  those 
which  relate  to  the  grace  of  God,  just  pre- 
sented in  ver.  5-7,  which  form  the  two  motives 
to  holy  living.  That  they  which  have  be- 
lieved in  God — a  designation  of  the  Cretan 
Christian.?,  as  distinguished  from  the  heathen 
Cretans  who  believed  false  gods.     Thus  Lu- 


ther: "those  who  have  become  believers  in 
God."  It  of  course  involves  the  thought, 
though  not  directly  expressing  it,  that  they 
had  believed  God  by  receiving  his  gospel  and 
publicly  professing  their  faith  in  Christ.  May 
be  careful  to  maintain  good  works — or,  as 
others,  be  foremost,  or  excel  in  good  works. 
All  true  inspiration  to  a  life  of  holy  obedi- 
ence comes  from  a  sense  of  God's  grace  in 
saving  us.  "We  love  him  [God]  because  he 
first  loved  us."  (ijohn4:i9.)  "The  love  of 
Christ  constraineth  us."  (2  cor.  5  :  14.)  The 
doctrines  which  unfold  before  men  that  mar- 
velous self-moved  grace,  therefore,  are  to  be 
strongly  and  constantly  insisted  on,  to  incite 
to  a  life  of  holiness.  '  Be  careful,'  {4>povTiC,uiai.v) : 
"reflect  on  something,  take  an  interest  in 
something;  here,  as  often  in  the  classics,  with 
a  suggestion  of  anxiety."  (Huther. )  The 
word,  though  used  in  the  Septuagint,  is  not 
elsewhere  found  in  the  New  Testament. 
'Good  works':  not  merely  benevolence,  but 
an  honorable  and  holy  life.  These  things — 
the  doctrines  Avhich  reveal  God's  infinite  love 
to  us  in  Christ,  and  in  which  thus  lie  the 
motives  to  a  true  obedience  to  him.  Are  good 
and  profitable  unto  men — good  in  them- 
selves, as  great  spiritual  verities,  and  useful  to 
men,  as  influencing  to  beneficent  and  holy 
living. 

9.  But  avoid  foolish  questions,  and 
genealogies,  and  contentions,  and  striv- 
ings about  the  \aw.  'Avoid,'  stand  aloof 
from;  he  is  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  them. 
The  apostle  thus  describes  the  subjects,  methods 
and  spirit  of  the  discourses  of  the  heretical 
teachers  ;  which  consisted  in  foolish  questions, 
not  worthj'  and  often  not  possible  to  be  an- 
swered, mystical  interpretations  of  names  in 
genealogical  lists,  and  controversies  in  regard 
to  minute  and  frivolous  ])oints  in  the  Jewish 
law — matters  of  no  practical  moment,  but 
tending  to  incessant  strife.  Repeated  warnings 
against  these  frivolous  and  hurtful  subjects  of 
discourse  are  given  in  the  Pastoral  Epistles — 


Ch.  III.] 


TITUS. 


147 


10  A  mac  that  is  a  heretic,  after  the  first  and  second 
admonition,  reject ; 

11  Knowing  that  he  that  is  such  is  subverted,  and 
siuueth,  being  condemned  o:  himself. 

12  When  1  shall  send  Artemas  unto  thee,  or  Tychicus, 


10  for  they  arc  unprofitable  and  vain.    A  factious  man 

11  after  a  first  and  second  aduioniiion  '  reluse:  know- 
ing that  such  a  one  is  perverted,  and  sinueth,  being 
seif-cuudemned. 

12  When  I  shall  send  Artemas  unto  thee,  or  Tychi- 


a  fact  that  indicates  probably  one  of  the  dan- 
gerous tendencies  of  that  age,  as,  indeed,  we 
might  infer  from  the  frivolous  and  supersti- 
tious character  of  it.  See  1  :  10-14;  1  Tim.  1  : 
4-7,  and  notes  there ;  6  :  4-7 ;  2  Tim.  2  :  23. 
The  vapid,  senseless  questions  often  discussed 
in  the  Kabbinic  writings  perhaps  give  us  the 
clearest  conception  of  the  utterly  inane  and 
worthless  discourse  here  reprobated.  For 
they  are  unprofitable  and  vain — useless 
and  morally  fruitless.  They  had  no  power  to 
purify  and  elevate  and  ennoble  the  heart  and 
lit';. 

10.  A  man  that  is  a  heretic,  after  the 
first  and  second  admonition,  reject.  'A 
heretic '  :  one  who  is  not  only  false  in  doctrine, 
but  factious  in  spirit  and  conduct;  a  fomentor 
of  strife  and  divisions,  a  maker  of  schisms. 
The  noun  (oiipeo-is),  from  which  heretic  is  de- 
rived, is  used  in  the  New  Testament,  as  desig- 
nating not  so  much  a  doctrinal  error,  heresy. 
as  a  faction,  division,  schism,  sect,  although 
more  or  less  of  error  is  supposed,  as  the  basis 

of  the  division  (Acts 5:  17;  15:5;  24:5,  14;  26:5;  28:22; 

1  Cor.  u  :  9 ;  Gal.  5 :  20) ;  and  in  some  cascs  an  organ- 
ized form  of  error  is  the  main  thought.  (Acts 
24  :U;  2  Peter  2: 1.)  The  exhortation  here  is  similar 
to  that  in  Rom  16  :  17.  "  Mark  them  which 
cause  divisions  and  offenses  contrary  to  the 
doctrine  which  ye  have  received,  and  avoid 
them."  Such  a  person  he  is  first  to  admonish, 
and,  if  necessary,  to  repeat  the  admonition  :  a 
procedure  which,  in  accordance  with  Matt. 
18  :  15-17,  perhaps  indicates  the  ordinary 
method  in  cases  of  discipline,  and  at  least 
shows  that  the  offender  is  to  be  carefully  and 
patiently  cf)nvinced  of  his  fault,  and,  if  possi- 
ble, to  be  reclaimed  from  it.  If  these  admoni- 
tions fail,  Titus  is  not  to  contend  with  the 
schismatic,  but  to  reject  him.  'Reject' — lit- 
erally, excuse  thyself  from^  shun.  Compare 
Luke  14:  18,  19 ;  1  Tim.  4:7;  2  John  10  :  11. 
The  word  does  not  directly  enjoin  the  exclu- 
sion of  the  offender  from  the  church,  but 
rather,  that  he  be  avoided,  that  his  society  be 
shunned :  but,  connected  here  as  it  is  with  the 
usual    disciplinary  admonitions,   it  certainly 


suggests  this  as,  at  least,  the  ultimate  result 
Self-opinionative  and  vain,  he  has  refused  to 
be  won  by  kindness  and  argument;  and  now, 
instead  of  gratifying  his  self-importance  by 
the  notoriety  of  a  public  controversy,  Titus 
is  to  shame  him  by  leaving  him  unnoticed. 
Factious  men  and  foolish  errors  are  sometimes 
pushed  into  prominence  by  being  contro- 
verted; whereas,  if  they  were  shunned,  thor- 
oughly let  alone,  ihey  would  of  themselves 
come  to  nought.  A  very  different  rule  of 
action  is  given  in  cases  where  the  error  is,  not 
as  in  this  case,  foolish  but  vital,  affecting  fun- 
damental truth,  or  where  the  offense  consti- 
tutes a  plain  breach  of  morality.     (iCor.5:i-i3; 

1  Tim.  1  :  19,  20.) 

11.  Knowing — or,  since  thou  knoicest,  by 
the  failure  of  thy  admonitions.  That  he 
that  is   such  is   subverted — turned  out  of 

the   true    way.        (l  Tim.  l  :6j  5:  15;  2Tim.  4:4.)      The 

ill  success  of  the  admonitions  showed  that  his 
error  was  not  one  of  the  hetid,  which  argument 
might  correct,  but  one  of  the  heart,  which 
argument  might  only  intensify.  And  sin- 
neth,  being  condemued  of  himself  (self- 
condemned).  The  meaning  here  is  not  clearly 
settled;  but  probably  it  is  either:  1.  He 
habitually  lives  in  sin,  in  spite  of  the  con- 
demnation of  his  own  conscience.  The  con- 
science has  become  so  perverted,  that,  though 
knowing  himself  to  be  wrong,  he  still  persists 
in  a  false  way.  (Rom. i : 32;  i Tim. 4:2.)  "The 
aggravating  circumstance  is  not  that  the  man 
condemns  himself  directly  and  explicitly,  as 
this  might  be  a  step  to  recovery,  but  that  he 
condemns  himself  indirectly  and  implicitly. 
as  acting  against  the  law  of  his  mind,  and 
doing  in  his  own  particular  case  what  in  the 
general  he  condemn.s."  (Ellicott.)  Or,  2.  He 
habitually  lives,  not  only  in  error,  but  in  sin, 
and  his  own  evil  character  and  life,  therefore, 
condemn  him. 

12-15.  Closing  Directions  and  Salu- 
tations. 

12.  When  I  shall  send  Artemas  nnto 
thee,  or  Tychicus.  Artemas  is  notelsewhere 
mentioned,  and  nothing  is  certainly  known  of 


148 


TITUS. 


[Ch.  III. 


be  diligent  to  come  unto  me  to  Nicopolis :  for  I  have 
deteruiined  there  to  winter. 

lA  Bring  Zenus  the  lawyer  and  Apollos  on  their  jour- 
ney diligently,  that  nothing  be  wanting  unto  them. 

14  And  let  ours  also  learn  to  maintain  good  works 
for  necessary  uses,  that  they  be  not  unfruitful. 


cus,  give  diligence  to  come  unto  me  to  Kicopolis: 

13  for  there  I  have  determined  to  winter.  Set  forward 
Zenas  the  lawyer  and  Apollos  on  their  journey  diii- 

14  gently,  that  nothing  be  wanting  unto  them.  And 
let  our  people  also  learn  to  '  maintain  good  works  for 
necessary  -  uses,  that  they  be  not  unfruitful. 


1  Ot,  profess  honest  occupations 2  Or,  wants^ 


liim  ;  Tychicus,  a  native  of  Asia,  accompanied 
Paul  ffom  Greece  to  Asia,  on  the  third  mis- 
sion (  Acts  20;  4) ;  bore  the  epistles  to  the  Ephe- 
sians,  Colossians,  and  Philemon  to  Asia,  in 
company  with  Oiiesimus,  during  Paul's  first 
imprisonment  at  Kome  (Eph.  6:21;  Coi. 4:7-9),  in 
which  epistles  he  is  described  as  "a  beloved 
brother  and  faithful  in  the  Lord";  and  again, 
during  Paul's  second  Roman  imprisonment, 
lie  is  sent  by  him  to  Ephesus,  apparently  to 
take  the  plane  of  Timothy  there.  (2 Tim. 4:12.) 
Give  diligence  (hasten)  to  come  unto 
me  to  Nicopolis.  Three  cities  of  this  name 
existed  within  the  sphere  of  Paul's  work,  one 
in  Cilicia,  another  in  Thrace,  and  a  third  in 
Epirus.  The  last,  a  city  built  by  Augustus  in 
commemoration  of  his  victory  at  Actium,  and 
hence  called  city  of  victory,  is  commonly  sup- 
posed to  be  the  one  here  referred  to.  For  I 
have  determined  there  to  winter.  He 
does  not  say  here,  but  there.  It  is  plain,  there- 
fore, that  he  had  not  yet  reached  Nicopolis, 
and  that  this  Epistle  was  not  written  from  that 
city,  as  the  subscription  falsely  states.  Arte- 
mas  and  Tychicus  were  evidently,  like  Tim- 
othy and  Titus,  evangelists  assisting  Paul  in 
his  widely  extended  missionary  work  ;  and  it 
was  the  apostle's  intention  to  send  one  of  them 
to  take  Titus'  place  in  Crete,  so  as  to  permit 
liim  to  come  to  Paul  at  Nicopolis,  where  he 
would  pass  the  winter.  Titus'  work  in  Crete, 
therefore,  was  purely  temporary,  and  the 
statement  of  the  subscription,  that  he  was 
"first  bishop  of  the  Cretians,"  has  no  basis, 
either  in  the  New  Testament  or  in  authentic 
history.  It  is  wholly  inconsistent  with  all  the 
known  facts. 

13.  Brin;?  Zenas,  the  lawyer,  and  ApoN 
los  on  their  jonrney  diligently.  The  name 
Zenas,  is  a  contraction  of  Zenodoras.  "Whether 
he  was  a  Roman  or  a  Jewish  lawyer  cannot  be 
determined,  as  he  is  not  elsewhere  mentioned  ; 
possibly  he  was  a  Jew,  who,  after  embracing 
Christ,  was  still  called  after  his  former  occu- 
pation, as  scribe  or  lawyer.  (Matt. 22: 35.)  An 
apocryphal  book,  entitled  "The Life  and  Acts 


of  Titus,"  is  ascribed  to  him.  Apollos  was  a 
Jew  of  Alexandria,  a  disciple  of  John  the 
Baptist,  eloquent  and  mighty  in  the  Script- 
ures; whom  Aquila  and  Priscilla  taught  "the 
way  of  the  Lord  more  perfectly"  at  Ephesus, 
and  who  subsequently  preached  with  great 
power  at  Corinth  and  throughout  Achaia. 
(Acts  18: 24-28.)  He  labored  much  with  Paul 
(1  Cor.  16:12) ;  but,  thougli  difl^cring  in  gifts  from 
the  apostle,  he  did  not,  as  some  afiSrm,  differ 
from  him  in  spirit  or  in  doctrine  (1  Co.-. 3:,s-io), 
as  is  evident  here  from  Paul's  injunction  re- 
specting him.  Probably  Zenas  and  Apollos 
were  soon  to  enter  upon  a  missionary  journey, 
in  the  course  of  which  they  expected  to  visit 
Crete.  That  nothing  be  wanting  unto 
them — that  is,  for  the  speeding  and  comfort  of 
their  journey.  He  is  to  hasten  forward  their 
journey,  by  seeing  that  their  needs  for  it  were 

supplied.    (3  John  6;  Acts  15  :3;  Rom.  15:24;  1  Cor.  16:6, 11.) 

14.  And  {but)  though  enjoining  this  on 
thee,  the  burden  should  not  fall  on  thee  alone. 
Let  ours  also  (of  the  Cretan  churches)  learn 
to  maintain  good  Avorks  for  necessary 
uses — that  is,  for  the  needs  of  Zenas,  Apollos, 
and  others,  thus  laboring  in  missionary  work. 
The  brethren  of  the  Cretan  churches  should 
supply  the  necessities  of  these  missionaries  on 
their  journey ;  a  direction  which  shows  that 
not  only  were  the  elders  to  be  supported  by 
the  churches  (1  Tim.  5:12, 13),  but  also  the  itiner- 
ant ministry,  such  as  these  evangelists  assisting 
Paul  in  missionary  labors.  It  was  made  a 
part  of  Titus'  duty,  to  cultivate  in  them  this 
missionary  spirit,  and  train  them  in  giving  for 
the' spread  of  the  gospel.  Missionary  journeys, 
such  as  Zenas  and  Apollos  were  performing, 
involved  expense,  and  this  was  to  be  borne  by 

the  churches.       (Act8l5:3;   2Cor.  ll:8:Phll.  4:16;  SJohn 

5-8.)  That  they  be  not  unfruitful.  This 
they  should  do,  not  only  to  supply  the  ex- 
penses and  needs  of  the  missionaries,  but  still 
more,  for  their  own  spiritual  life,  as  develop- 
ing in  them  the  grace  of  holy  benevolence. 
This  is  a  chief  end  in  giving,  as  presented  in 
Scripture.     Covetousness,   as  a    concentrated 


Ch.  III.] 


TITUS. 


149 


15  All  that  are  with  me  salute  thee.    Greet  them  that 
love  us  iu  the  fuith.    Grace  be  with  you  ail.    Ameu. 


15     All  that  are  with  me  salute  thee.    Salute  them 
thai  love  us  iu  faith. 
Grace  be  with  you  all. 


form  of  seldsliiiess,  is  a  sin  so  insidious  and 
deadly,  that,  whenever  it  becomes  a  governing 
characteristic,   it  excludes  the  soul  from  the 

kingdom  of  trod.     (Luke  la  :  is  ;  Roai.l;a9;  lCor.o;U; 

6:10;  coi.3:d.)  One  of  the  highest  duties,  there- 
fore, of  the  ministry  is  to  cultivate  in  men  an 
unseltish    benevolence,     (a  Cor. » :  !•» ;  9:6-i5;  rwi. 

4:15-I'J.) 

15.    All  that  are  with   me  salute  thee 

— referring  probably  to  Paul's  fellow  laborers, 
who  were  at  present  with  him,  and  who,  as 
well  known  to  Titus,  are  not  mentioned  by 
name.  Greet  them  that  love  us  in  the 
faith.  '  In  the  faith  '  —the  sphere,  or  element, 
of  their  love.  They  loved  him  as  a  Christian. 
The  bond  of  their  affection,  the  element  in 
whicli    it    lived,    was    their   common    faith. 


"Love  is  represented  as  having  its  root  in 
faith,  this  again  as  the  bond  of  fellowship.'' 
(  VViesinger.)  Christian  faith  is  the  enduring 
basis  of  true  friendship;  for  souls  united  in 
that  are  united  in  common  to  Christ  himself, 
and  are  thus  in  eternal  union,  bound  ever 
more  closely  in  the  bonds  of  an  everlasting 
friendship.  Grace  be  with  you  all— a  com- 
prehensive benediction,  invoking  God's  free, 
rich  favor  on  Titus  and  on  all  associated  with 
him.  Amen  —  not  found  in  the  Sinaitic, 
Alexandrian,  Ephraem,  and  other  old  manu- 
scripts, and  omitted  by  the  best  editors.  The 
subscription  is  here,  as  in  other  epistles,  spuri- 
ous; and  in  this  place  it  is  at  variance  with 
the  plain  facts  of  the  Epistle,  as  shown  in  the 
notes  on  verse  12. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON. 


THE  GENUINENESS. 
The  private  character  and  the  brevity  of  this  Epistle  would  naturally  make  it  slow  in 
coming  to  the  notice  of  the  churches;  yet  there  are  indications  in  the  Epistles  of  Igna- 
tius that,  even  as  early  as  the  period  of  the  Apostolical  Fathers,  it  had  become  known 
among  the  Pauline  Epistles.  It  is  acknowledged  as  such  in  the  Muratorian  Canon,  in  the 
last  half  of  the  second  century.  Tertullian  and  Origen,  near  the  beginning  of  the  third 
century,  and  Eusebius  and  Jerome,  in  the  fourth,  all  either  name  it  among  the  epistles  of 
Paul,  or  quote  from  it  as  such.  Its  genuineness  seems  to  have  been  commonly  admitted 
in  antiquity  ;  but,  in  the  fourth  century,  some  objected  to  giving  it  a  place  in  the  Canon, 
because  of  its  purely  personal  character,  its  brevity,  and  especially  its  lack  of  doctrinal 
significance,  objections,  which  Jerome,  Chrj'sostom,  and  Theodore  of  Mopsuestia  notice 
and  refute.  The  internal  evidence  is  all  in  its  favor  ;  throughout,  it  breathes  the  spirit 
and  bears  the  mark  of  Paul.  The  remarkable  and  evidently  undesigned  coincidences  in  it 
with  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians  have  been  pointed  out  by  Paley,  and  utterly  exclude  the 
supposition  of  forgery.  ("  Horae  Paulinae,"  Chapter  XIV.)  German  criticism  has,  how- 
ever, assailed  this,  as  it  has  the  other  epistles  of  the  first  Roman  imjirisonnient.  Baur, 
with  the  Tubingen  school  in  general,  places  it  among  the  doubtful  epistles.  But  the 
grounds  on  which  they  base  this  doubt  of  its  Pauline  authorship, — such  as  the  occurrence 
in  it  of  some  unusual  words,  etc., — if  used  in  testing  literature  in  general,  would  set  aside 
as  spurious  a  large  number  of  the  best  authenticated  works  of  our  own  and  of  former 
times.  So  clearly  does  the  letter  exhibit  the  personal  characteristics  of  the  apostle,  and 
so  marked  are  the  minute  and  undesigned  coincidences  with  Paul's  acknowledged  writings, 
and  with  the  facts  of  his  life,  that  the  internal  evidence  leaves  absolut-ely  no  room  for 
doubt,  on  any  grounds  which  either  sound  criticism  or  ordinary  con)mon  sense  would 
justify.  It  would  be  far  more  difficult  to  account  for  the  manifest  presence  of  Paul's 
heart  and  head  and  hand  in  a  forged  epistle,  than  to  account  for  a  few  new  words,  which 
common  sense  at  once  explains  as  natural  and  necessary  in  an  epistle  dealing  with  a  sub- 
ject unusual  in  its  character  and  scope. 

THE  PERSON  ADDRESSED  AND  THE  OCCASION. 
Philemon  was  a  resident  at  Colosse  in  Phrygia  ;  for  Onesimus,  his  slave,  belonged 
there,  and  Archippus,  who  is  here  addressed  with  Philemon,  is  alluded  to  as  a  minister 
there.  (Ver.  2  ;  Col.  4  :  9,  17.)  Whether  he  filled  an  office  in  the  Colossian  Cliurch  is 
uncertain,  as  Paul  speaks  of  him  only  as  a  "  fellow-worker,"  which  need  not  iniply  official 
station  ;  but  he  was  distinguished  for  his  high  religious  character  and  his  generous  hos- 
pitality to  the  saint.s.  Probably  he  was  a  man  of  substance,  as  his  house  was  one  of  the 
meeting  places  of  the  church  in  Colosse,  a  fact  which  suggests  that  it  was  spaciou.s,  such 

151 


152  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON. 

as  only  the  wealthier  classes  occui)ied.  (2.)  His  coaversion  doubtless  occurred  under 
the  ministry  of  Paul,  since  the  apostle,  in  making  his  appeal  for  the  slave,  says  to  Phile- 
mon, "Thou  owest  unco  me  even  thine  own  self  besides. ''  (19.)  If,  as  is  generally 
supposed,  Paul  had  not  as  yet  personally  visited  Colosse,  it  is  a  natural  supposition,  that 
Philemon  had  coiue  to  Ephesus,  the  metropolis  of  Western  Asia  Minor,  and  had  there 
been  converted  by  the  instrumentality  of  the  apostle.  (Acts  19  :  10,  26.)  The  resulting 
friendship  was  warm  and  enduring,  leading  to  constant  mutual  remembrance  in  prayer. 
(4.)  In  regard  to  the  others  to  whom  the  Epistle  is  addressed,  it  is  supposed  that  Apphia 
was  the  wife  of  Philemon,  and  that  Archippus,  spoken  of  elsewhere  as  a  minister,  was 
his  son,  and  the  association  of  their  names  with  his,  in  addressing  the  household,  cer- 
tainly renders  the  conjecture  not  improbable. 

Onesimus,  the  immediate  occasion  of  the  Epistle,  was  a  slave  of  Philemon.  He  had, 
apparently,  in  some  way,  wronged  his  master,  and  had  fled  to  Rome,  where,  in  the  slums 
of  the  thronged  metropolis  of  the  world,  he  doubtless  hoped  to  elude  pursuit.  In  some 
way  now  unknown,  he  came  in  contact  with  the  apostle,  then  a  prisoner  in  Rome,  and 
was  converted.  (Acts  28  :  30,  31.)  A  warm  mutual  attachment  resulted,  and  to  the  im- 
prisoned apostle  the  fugitive  slave  became,  not  only  very  dear,  but  probably  in  many  ways 
useful.  Paul  would  gladly  have  retained  him  ;  but,  though  he  does  not  doubt  tliat  Phile- 
mon, if  he  knew  the  circumstances,  would  grant  him  the  sei'vice  of  Onesimus,  he  is  un- 
willing to  presume  on  this  favor  by  anticipating  it.  Probably,  also,  Onesimus  himself, 
now  fully  conscious  of  his  wrong,  desired  to  return,  and  make  confession  and  reparation. 
But  at  that  period,  such  a  course  might  involve  serious  hazard  to  the  slave  ;  torture,  or 
even  death,  might  be  the  result  at  the  hands  of  a  cruel  and  irritated  master.  In  sending 
Onesimus,  therefore,  Paul  not  only  commended  him  to  the  whole  Colossian  Church,  as 
"  the  faithful  and  beloved  brother,  who  is  one  of  you  "(Col.  4  :  9),  but  also  wrote  to  Phile- 
mon this  marvelously  forceful  and  touching  appeal  in  behalf  of  the  now  penitent  and  re- 
turning servant.  The  courtesy,  delicacy,  and  tact 'of  the  Epistle  have  been  admired  in  all 
ages,  and  render  it  in  its  pathos  and  beauty  unapproached  in  epistolary  literature.  Among 
the  numerous  private  epistles  which  have  come  down  to  us  from  antiquity,  while  there 
are  many  that  exhibit  great  wealth  of  thought  and  polish  of  style,  with  much  of  spark- 
ling wit,  all  fall  far  below  this  in  nobility  and  elevation  of  sentiment,  and  breadth  and 
tenderness  of  sympathy  for  man  as  man.  In  that  age  of  slavery,  when  more  than  half 
the  Roman  world  were  in  bondage,  bought  and  sold  as  chattels  and  without  rights  in  law, 
the  apostle,  looking  beyond  artificial,  earthly  distinctions,  sees  all  redeemed  men,  whatever 
their  social  position,  as  one  in  Christ  Jesus,  equal  before  God,  bound  each  to  the  other  in 
the  bonds  of  sacred,  eternal  brotherhood.  From  this  high  standpoint,  which  was  un- 
known to  ancient  heathenism,  but  forms  the  distinctive  social  characteristic  of  Christi- 
anity, he  pleads  with  the  master  for  a  once  erring,  but  now  penitent  offender,  belonging 
to  the  despised  downtrodden  class.  The  Epistle  of  Pliny  the  Younger,  written  to  a 
friend,  near  the  close  of  the  first  century,  in  behalf  of  an  offending  freedman,  is  one  of 
the  noblest  utterances  of  heathen  literature,  and  has  often  been  compared  with  this ;  but 
beautiful  as  it  is,  and,  in  the  original,  faultless  in  style,  the  whole  conception  of  the  illus- 
trious heathen  is  far  inferior  to  that  of  the  apostle.     The  following  is  a  translation  : 

"  Caius  Pliny  to  Sabinianus,  health  :  Thy  freedman,  with  whom  thou  saidst  thou  wast 
incensed,  came  to  me,  and  falling  at  my  feet,  as  if  at  thine,  clung  to  them.  He  wept 
much,  much  he  entreated,  and  much  was  the  force  of  his  silence.  In  short,  he  fully 
satisfied  me  of  his  penitence.     Truly  I  believe  him  to  be  reformed,  because  he  is  sensible 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON.  153 

of  his  wrong.  Thou  art  angry,  I  know  ;  and  thou  art  angry  justly,  tliis  also  I  know  ;  but 
clemency  has  then  the  highest  praise,  when  there  is  the  greatest  cause  fur  anger.  Thou 
hast  loved  the  man  ;  and  I  hope,  thou  wilt  love  him.  Meanwhile  it  is  sufficient  that  thou 
suffer  thyself  to  be  entreated.  It  will  be  right  for  thee  to  be  angry  with  him  again,  if  he 
shall  deserve  it,  because  having  once  yielded  to  entreaty,  thine  anger  will  be  the  more 
just. 

"Forgive  something  in  view  of  his  youth.  Forgive  on  account  of  his  tears.  Forgive 
for  the  sake  of  thy  own  kindness.  Do  not  torture  him,  lest  thou  torture  also  thyself;  for 
thou  wilt  be  in  torture,  when  thou,  who  art  so  gentle,  shalt  be  angry.  I  fear  lest,  if  to 
liis  prayers  I  should  unite  my  own,  I  should  seem  not  to  ask,  but  to  compel.  Yet  I  will 
unite  them,  and  the  more  fully  and  abundantly  in  that  I  have  very  sharply  and  severely 
reproved  him,  strictly  threatening  that  I  will  never  hereafter  intercede  for  him.  This  I 
said  to  him,  because  it  was  necessary  to  alarm  him  ;  but  I  do  not  say  the  same  to  thee. 
For  perchance  I  shall  intercede  again,  and  shall  again  obtain  ;  only  that  my  request  be 
such  as  it  befits  me  to  ask  and  thee  to  grant.     Farewell. 

SLAVERY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  AGE. 

At  this  period,  more  than  half  the  population  of  the  Roman  Empire  were  slaves. 
Servile  insurrections  of  great  magnitude  had  occurred,  which  threatened  to  upheave  and 
destroy  the  foundations  of  society  and  government.  The  Romans  lived  in  constant  fear 
of  these  outbreaks ;  and  the  most  stringent  and  cruel  laws  chained  down  this  vast  body 
of  bondmen.  The  slave  had  no  rights  in  law^.  Absolutely  under  the  master's  control,  he 
could  be  tortured,  maimed,  crucified,  or  thrown  to  the  wild  beasts  at  his  cruel  caprice. 
The  servile  population  formed  an  ever  restless,  seething,  muttering  volcano  beneath  the 
fabric  of  society,  which  might  burst  forth  with  terrible  devastation  at  any  moment. 
Roman  law  decreed,  that  if  a  master  had  been  slain  by  a  slave,  the  whole  body  of  slaves 
in  his  household  should  be  put  to  death.  Only  three  years  before  Paul  wrote  this  letter, 
a  citizen  having  been  thus  assassinated,  four  hundred  slaves  composing  liis  household, 
men,  women,  and  children,  though  well  known  to  be  innocent  of  the  crime,  were  relent- 
lessly led  to  death.  Such  terrible  examples  were  thought  necessary  to  repress  this  servile 
element,  and  protect  the  masters. 

What  was  the  attitude  of  the  gospel  toward  this  gigantic  evil  ?  Plaiidy,  it  did  not 
proclaim  a  crusade  against  slavery  as  a  civil  institution  ;  this  would  only  have  been,  in 
these  circumstances,  to  excite  these  oppressed  masses  to  bloody  and  anarchical  revolution. 
Nothing  is  more  evident  than  the  presence  of  slaves  in  Christian  ftimilies  in  the  apostolic 
age,  and  tlie  requirement  of  Scripture,  enjoining  obedience  to  the  master.  Christianity 
did  not  strike  at  once  and  directly  at  the  civil  relation.  But  it  lifted  both  master  and 
slave  into  a  new  relation  to  Christ,  making  them  equal  before  God,  equal  in  the  church, 
and  equal  as  citizens  and  heirs  of  the  heavenly  kingdom  ;  and  this  great  fact,  as  its  sig- 
nificance came  to  be  felt,  changed  the  actual  relation  of  master  and  slave,  even  where  the 
formal,  outward  civil  relation  remained.  Hence  Philemon  is  not  commanded  to  manumit 
Onesimus,  but  to  receive  him,  no  longer  merely  "as  a  servant;  but  above  a  servant,  a 
brother  beloved."  It  is  easy  to  see  that,  as  the  gospel  interpenetrated  the  social  life,  and 
created  a  Christian  civilization,  this  change  in  the  moral  and  spiritual  relation  of  the  par- 
ties would  lead  to  a  change  in  the  civil  relation,  and  master  and  slave,  from  the  first  un- 
known in  the  Church,  would  also  cease  to  be  known  in  the  State.  The  chief  significance 
of  this  Epistle  for  all  the  ages  is,  that  in  Christ  Jesus  there  is  neither  bond  nor  free;  that 


154  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON. 

Christianity  meaMS  the  moral  and  spiritual  equality  of  all  men  before  God  and  his  church  ; 
and  that  consequently,  as  it  enters  and  purifies  and  uplifts  the  race,  there  must  come, 
through  this  Christian  civilization,  as  the  ultimate  result,  the  equality  of  all  men  before 
the  civil  law.  The  Epistle  thus  touches  the  profoundest  social  questions  of  all  ages  and 
all  lands. 

THE  TIME  AND  PLACE  OP  WRITING. 

The  Epistle  was  written  during  the  apostle's  first  imprisonment  at  Rome,  A.  D.  60-63  : 
and,  as  he  expresses  an  expectation  of  speedy  liberation,  its  date  may  probably  be  placed 
near  the  close  of  this  period,  A.  D.  62  or  63.  Tychicus,  when  departing  for  Asia,  bearing 
the  Epistles  to  the  Ephesians  and  Colossians,  was  accompanied  by  Onesimus ;  and  the 
apostle  sends  this  letter  to  insure  the  repentant  fugitive  a  kind  reception  and  full  pardon. 
The  Epistle  is,  therefore,  to  be  studied  in  connection  with  the  group  of  epistles  belonging 
to  the  first  Roman  imprisonment. 

LITERATURE  OP  THE  EPISTLE. 

The  helps  on  this  brief  Epistle  are  very  abundant  and  full ;  only  the  more  recent  and 
important  will  be  here  named.  Among  the  best  expositions  are  Wiesinger's,  in  Olshaus- 
en's  "Commentaries;"  Meyer's,  in  his  "  New  Testament  Commentary,"  and  Van  Oos- 
terzee's  in  Lange's  "  Commentary  ";  all  of  which  are  now  by  translation  accessible  to  the 
English  reader.  Van  Oosterzee's,  in  Lange,  is  edited  by  the  late  Dr.  Hackett,  who  has 
made  additions  of  great  value.  Among  modern  English  commentators  may  be  specially 
named,  Alford,  Ellicott,  and  Lightfoot.  The  last  named,  in  his  "Commentary  on  Colos- 
sians and  Philemon,"  has  added  much  to  the  literature  of  the  subject,  and  produced  a 
work  very  rich  in  learning  and  exegetical  value.  Farrar's  "Life  and  Work  of  St.  Paul  " 
should  also  be  mentioned,  it  being  quite  full  and  valuable  in  its  notice  and  analysis  of  this 
Epistle. 


THE  EPISTLE  TO  PHILEMON. 


PAUL,  a  prisoner  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  Timothy  our 
brother,  unio   Philemon   our  dearly  beloved,  and 
fellow  labourer, 

i  And  to  our  beloved  Apphia,  and  Archippus  our  fel- 
low soldier,  and  to  the  church  iu  thy  house: 


1  Paul,  a  prisoner  of  Christ  Jesus,  and  Timothy 
•our  brother,  to  Philemon  our  beloved  and  fcllow- 

2  worker,  and  to  Apphia  -our  sisier,  and  to  Archippus 
our  lellow-soldier,  and  to  the  church  in  thy  hou&e: 


1  Gr.  tlie  brother 2  Or.  theaister. 


1-3.  Address  and  Greeting. 

1.   Paul,  a  prisoner  of  Jesus   Christ — 

not  barely  a  prisoner  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  in 
bonds  on  account  of  his  cause,  but  Christ 
Jesus'  prisoner.  In  other  epistles  he  appears 
as  Christ's  ^^rvaw^.'  here  he  is  Christ's  prisoner, 
as  appointed  by  Christ  to  serve  in  that  rehi- 
tion.     "Whom  Christ  has  placed  in  bonds." 

(Meyer.)      (Eph.  3:1;  4:1;  2Tim.  1:8.)     He  doOS  Hot 

speak  of  himself  as  an  apostle,  because  it  is  a 
private  letter,  and  he  does  not  here  wish  to 
command,  but  rather  to  entreat.  'A  pris- 
oner': "How  could  Philemon  resist  an  appeal 
which  was  penned  within  prison  walls,  and  by 
a  manacled  hand  !  "  (Lightfoot.)  And  Tim- 
othy our  (the)  brother.  Paul  usually  asso- 
ciates his  assistants  with  him  in  his  epistles; 
and  in  this  instance,  perhaps,  it  is  to  add  to 
the  force  of  the  appeal,  as  Timothy  was  with 
Paul  during  the  three  years  at  Ephesus,  and 
must  have  been  well  known  by  Philemon. 
The  brother :  the  well-known  brother.  Unto 
Philemon  our  dearly  beloved,  and  fellow 
labourer — not  elsewhere  mentioned,  but,  from 
his  association  here  with  Archippus,  it  is 
probable  that  he  was  a  member  of  the  church 
at  Colosse,  and  one  with  whom  Paul  had 
labored  either  there  or  at  Ephesus.  It  is  not 
certain  that  he  was  a  minister,  although  the 
title  'fellow  laborer'  is  often  applied  to  min- 
isters (2  Col. 8: 23;  Phil.  2 :  25 ;  Col.  4:11 ),  but  it  is  Cer- 
tainly not  restricted  to  them.  (Rom.  16:3.)  The 
relation  between  Paul  and  him  was  evidently 
one  of  tender  affection;  and,  indeed,  his  char- 
acter wa.s  such  that  the  apostle  stj'les  him  the 
'  beloved,'  expressive  probably  of  the  general 
sentiment  toward  him. 

3.  And  to  our  beloved  Apphia — better, 
as  the  Revised  Version,  to  Apphia  our  (the) 
sister — possibly  the  wife  of  Philemon  ;  she  is 
not  elsewhere  mentioned.  The  nam^  occurs 
often  in  this  form  in  Phrygian  inscriptions;  a 


fact  which  serves  to  confirm  the  genuineness 
of  the  epistle.  As  the  return  of  the  slave 
was  a  matter  that  concerned  the  whole  house- 
hold, it  was  natural  that  the  mistress  should 
be  addressed  as  well  as  the  master:  her  influ- 
ence, also,  might  be  important  in  leading 
Philemon  to  a  right  decision.  '  Our  beloved  ' : 
the  oldest  mynuscripts,  as  the  Siiiaitic,  Alex- 
drian,  Claromontanus,  read  the  sister,  a  read- 
ing in  itself  more  probable,  and  adopted  by 
most  editors.  And  Archippus  our  fellow 
soldier — probably  a  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Laodicea,  a  short  distance  from  Colosse,  as  he 
is  mentioned  in  immediate  connection  with 
that  church  in  Col.  4  :  17.  Tlii-s,  however,  is 
not  certain  :  the  mention  of  him  licre,  in  con- 
nection with  Philemon's  household,  seems  to 
suggest  Colosse  as  his  residence,  and  certainly 
makes  it  possible  that  "the  ministry  he  had 
received  in  the  Lord"  was  fulfilled  in  Colosse. 
He  is  supposed  to  have  been  Philemon's  son. 
'Fellow  soldier':  as,  like  Paul,  engaged  in 
conflict  for  the  gospel  (Phii. 2:25: 2  Tim. 2: 3),  and 
possibly  as  having  labored  with  Paul  and 
Timothy  during  the  three  years  residence  in 
Ephesus,  A.  D.  55-57.  And  to  the  church  in 
thy  house — "the  section  of  the  Christians  at 
Colosse  which  met  in  his  house."  (Meyer.) 
Of  church  edifices  as  such  we  have  few,  or 
perhaps  no  authentic  records  before  the  close 
of  the  second  century.  Before  that  time, 
Christians  met  apparently  in  private  houses  or 
such  public  rooms  as  might  be  made  available 
for  purposes  of  worship.  (Aots  is  ;  6;  19  :  S-IO; 
28 :  30.)  Probably  in  the  houses  of  the  wealthier 
church  members  there  were  rooms  large 
enough  for  such  gatherings.  Thus  we  read 
in  Col.  4:  15,  of  "Nymphas  and  the  church 
which  is  in  his  hou.se."  and  al.so  of  Aquila  and 
Priscilla,  as,  both  at  Corinth  and  at  E])hesiis, 
having  a  church  in  their  house  (Rnn.  in : 3.5; 
icor.  i«:i9) ;  meaning,  not  the  whole  church  in 

156 


156 


PHILEMON. 


3  Grace  to  you,  and  peace,  from  God  our  Father  and 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

4  1  tbaiik  my  God,  making  mention  of  thee  always 
in  my  prayers, 


3  Grace  to  you,  and  peace  from  God  our  Father  and 
the  l>ord  Jesus  Christ. 

4  I  thank  my  God  always,  making  mention  of  thee 


these  cities,  but  a  section  of  it,  a  house  congre- 
gation, precisely  as  in  a  hirge  or  scattered 
church  now,  portions  of  it  meet  for  social 
worship  in  ditierent  neighborhoods.  (Acts  12: 
12;  16:40;  Eom.  16 :  H,  15.)  Possibly  some  of  the 
slaves  of  Philemon,  who  formed  a  part  of  his 
household,  were  members  of  the  church,  and 
it  might  be  desirable,  as  Chrysostom  suggests, 
to  conciliate  them,  and  awaken  in  them  pre  per 
sentiments  toward  the  returning  fugitive. 
Hence,  not  the  master  only,  but  the  whole 
family,  the  wife,  son,  and  slaves,  so  far  as 
they  are  Christians,  are  addressed,  and  the 
appeal  is  made  to  the  hearts  of  all  in  behalf 
of  Onesimus.  At  the  same  time  he  could  not 
address  them  separately  as  slaves,  both  because 
an  appeal  to  them  in  such  a  connection  might 
be  offensive  to  the  master,  and  because,  as  the 
same  Father  adds,  "  the  church  knows  not  the 
distinction  of  master  and  slave"  (Gai. 3:28); 
hence  he  addressed  the  section  of  the  church 
meeting  with  Philemon  and  including  his 
Christian  slaves.  In  another  epistle,  sent  at 
the  same  time,  he  commends  Onesimus  to  the 
whole  church.     (Coi.  4:9.) 

3.  Grace  to  you,  and  peace,  from  God 
our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — 
the  usual  form  of  invocation  in  all  the  Pauline 
Epistles,  except  First  and  Second  Timothy 
and  Hebrewr,.  '  Grace ' :  the  free,  unmerited 
favor  of  God,  through  which  salvation  is  be- 
stowed. 'Peace':  that  salvation  as  experi- 
enced in  the  soul.  The  former  designates  the 
source  of  salvation,  God's  free,  self-originated 
favor;  the  latter,  the  result  of  salvation,  as 
subjectively  realized  in  the  soul,  in  a  new  life 
of  peace  with  God.  The  union  of  Christ 
with  the  Father  in  such  an  invocation,  mak- 
ing him  alike  with  the  Father,  the  source  of 
'grace'  and  'peace,'  could  only  be  impious, 
if  the  apostle  did  not  regard  him  as  one  in 
nature  and  equal  with  God  the  Father. 

4-7.  Thanksgiving  for  Philemon's 
Love  and  Faith.— 1.  The  apostle  gives 
thanks  to  God  always  for  him,  making  men- 
tion of  him  in  his  prayers,  through  occasion 
of  the  reports  that  come  respecting  his  love  to 
Chri.etians  and  faith  toward  Chri.'^t.  (4,  5.) 
2.  The  purport  of  his  prayer  for  him  is  that 


the  exercise  of  kindness  to  the  saints,  which 
his  faith  had  prompted,  might  lead  to  the  full 
development  in  him  of  all  those  possibilities 
of  excellence  of  character,  which,  by  God's 
grace,  are  in  us,  and  thus  Christ  be  glorified 
in  him.  (6.)  3.  The  motive  or  subjective 
grounds  of  the  prayer  is  the  joy  and  consola- 
tion Paul  experienced  by  occasion  of  Phile- 
mon's love,  in  that  the  hearts  of  the  saints  are 
refreshed  by  him.     (7.) 

4.  I   thank   my   God— compare  the  very 
similar    thought   and    expression    (Rom.  iis-io; 

1  Cor.  1:4;  Phil.  1:3,4;    1  Thess.  1 :  2,  3 ;  2  Thess.  1:3),     'My 

God'  :  "  it  is  the  privilege  of  good  men  that 
in  their  praises  and  prayers  they  come  to  God 
as  their  God  ;  '  Our  God  we  thank  thee,^  said 
David,  and  '/  thank  my  God,'  said  Paul." 
(Henry.)  "In  thus  thanking  God  for  what 
Philemon  was,  we  see  the  apostle's  habit  of 
recognizing  the  gnices  of -Christians  as  the 
fruits  of  grace."  (Hackett.)  Making  men- 
tion of  thee  always  in  my  prayers.  The 
manner  in  which  his  thankfulness  found  ex- 
pression:  it  was  in  thankful  intercession  for 
him.  ('ph.  1:15, 16.)  Note  the  unselfish  and  all 
comprehending  character  of  Paul's  prayers. 
So  broad  was  his  spiritual  sympath3',  that  he 
daily  spread  out  before  God  the  condition  and 
needs  of  the  multitude  of  churches  and  of 
fellow  laborers,  with  whom  he  was  connected 
as  spiritual  leader,  evidently  mentioning  them 
by  name,  and  entering  into  their  circumstances 
and  special  necessities  with  great  particularity-. 
Compare  the  passages  above  cited.  Thus 
Luther,  in  the  most  exciting  and  crowded 
epochs  of  his  career,  when  the  cause  of  the 
Reformation  throughout  Germany  lay  on  his 
heart,  is  said  to  have  spent  three  hours  daily 
in  prayer.  Our  Lord  himself,  amidst  the 
intense  and  blessed  activities  of  his  wonderful 
life,  probably  often  "continued  the  whole 
night  in  praj-er,"  or,  "  rising  up  a  great  while 
before  daj',  departed  into  a  solitary  place,  and 
there  prayed."  Nor  was  this  the  outpouring 
of  a  mere  ecstatic  devotion  ;  his  people  and 
their  needs  formed  the  subject  of  these  sol itarj' 
pleadings  (i.uke22:.s2;  John  17: 20);  and  thesc  inter- 
cessions, begun  on  earth,  he  continues  evermore 
before  the  throne  in  heaven.     (Rom.  8:24;  net.  9: 


PHILEMON. 


157 


5  Hearing  of  thy  love  and  faith,  which  thou  hast 
toward  the  Lord  Jesus,  aiid  toward  all  saints ; 

6  That  the  cotiiiuuiiication  of  thy  faith  may  become 
effectual  by  the  ackmiwledgiiig  of  every  good  thing 
which  is  in  you  in  Christ  Jesus. 

7  For  we  have  great  joy  and  consolation  in  ihy  love, 
because  the  bowels  of  the  saints  are  refreshed  by  thee, 
brother. 


5  in  niy  prayers,  hearing  of  '  thy  love,  and  of  the  faith 
which  thou  hast  toward  the  Loid  Jesus,  and  loward 

(j  all  the  saints;  that  the  fellowship  of  thy  failh  may 
become  edectual   in   the  knowli-dj^e  of  every  good 

7  thing  which  is  in  '^you,  unto  Christ,  lor  I  iiad 
much  joy  and  comfort  in  tliy  love,  because  the 
hearto  ol  the  saints  have  been  refreshed  through 
thee,  brother. 


I  Or,  thy  love  and/aith 2  Mao;  aucieoi  autUoriues  read  u«. 


25;  ijohDi;  1.)  In  syiiiputliy  with  Christ,  the 
apostle,  in  like  manner,  bore  upon  his  heart 
before  God  the  needs  not  only  of  the  churches 
in  general,  but  of  the  individual  souls  with 
whom  he  was  placed  in  more  immediate  con- 
tact. 

5.  Hearing — or,  ichUe  I  hear,  or,  am  (often) 
hearing,  perliaps  from  Onesimus,  Epaphras, 
who  was  then  in  Kome  (Coi.  i  :7;  4;  12),  and 
otlier  disciples  from  Colosse.  This  clause  ex- 
presses the  occasion  of  Paul's  tlianksgiving 
and  prayer:  he  was  constantly  hearing  of 
Philemon's  steadfastness  and  generous  hospi- 
tality and  kindness  to  the  saints.  Of  thy 
love  and  faith,  which  thou  hast  toward 
the  liord  Jesus,  and  toward  all  saints. 
The  clauses  here  are  transposed,  making  the 
figure  called  chiasm,  which  might  readily 
occur  in  an  informal,  friendly  letter,  especially 
in  a  writer  like  Paul,  in  whom  thought  often 
outruns  expression,  and  several  thoughts  seem 
to  be  struggling  for  utterance  at  the  same 
moment.  The  logical  order  is:  While  I  hear 
of  thy  faith  toward  Christ  and  of  thy  love 
unto  all  the  saints.  The  occasion  of  his  thanks- 
giving and  prayer  for  Philemon  is  the  con- 
stant report  of  Phiietnon's  Christian  character 
and  kindness.     (Coi.  3:3, 4;  3  jahn2-6.) 

6.  That— connected  with  ver.  4,  as  express- 
ing the  end  or  purport  of  the  prayer.  The 
communication  of  thy  faith— that  is,  the 
liberality  or  kindness  shown  to  the  saints, 
which  is  the  fruit  of  thy  faith.  See  Kom.  15: 
26 ;  2  Cor.  8:4;  9  :  13 ;  Phil.  1:5;  Heb.  13  : 
16),  in  all  which  this  word  (Koivuvia)  is  used  in 
the  sense  of  contribution,  the  impstrting  of 
one's  good  toothers.  May  become  etfectnal 
by  the  acknowledging  of  every  good  thing 
which  is  in  you  in  Christ  Jesus— better,  as 
in  the  Revised  Version,  in  the  knowledge  of 
every  good  thing  which  i/t  in  yon,  unto  Chrifit 
— that  is,  in  the  full  recognition  and  conse- 
quent possession  of  every  grace  and  power 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  has  implanted  in  j'ou, 
unto  (the  glory  of)  Christ.     Nothing  spiritu- 


ally good  dwells  in  us  by  nature  (Eom.  7:i8); 
but  grace  implants  a  new  principle  or  potency 
of  holiness  (joudiih;  ijuhu3:b),  which  is  to  be 
developed  in  all  moral  and  spiritual  excel- 
lencies, to  the  glory  of  Christ.  This  new 
principle  of  holiness  finds  its  development  in 
the  exercise  of  an  unselfish  Christian  benevo- 
lence :  this  is  the  element  in  whicii  it  grows 
and  reaches  its  full,  blessed  fruitage  in  a  holy 
character.  The  apostle's  prayer  is,  that, 
through  the  exercise  of  these  offices  of  kind- 
ness to  the  saints  by  Philemon,  wiiich  are 
prompted  by  his  faith,  he  may  attain  the  per- 
fect knowledge  [iTriyviaan) ,  the  knowledge 
which  comes  by  actual  possession  of  every 
grace  of  experience  and  chtiracter  which  is 
made  possible  to  us  by  the  new  spiritual  nature 
that,  through  God's  gift,  is  in  us.  Compare 
the  parallel  prayer,  Phil.  1  :  9-11.  "It  is  beau- 
tifully presupposed  here  that  '  whatsoever 
things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honest, 
whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatsoever  things 
are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely,  what- 
soever things  are  of  good  report,'  they  all 
(niv  ayaeov)  have  their  proper  dwelling  place 
and  home  in  the  bosoms  of  Christians,  and 
that  itis  theirduty,  as  it  shotild  betheirglory, 
to  furnish  to  the  world  the  outward  proof  of 
this  inner  Christendom,  and  thus  give,  each 
one  for  himself,  the  evidence  that  the  idea  and 
the  reality  are  not  in  his  case  separat<'d  from 
each  other.  It  is  thus  that  G-od  is  glorified. 
(Matt.5: 16.)"  (Hackett.)  'In  you':  instead  of 
this,  most  of  the  be.st  manuscripts  read  in  us, 
a  reading  adopted  by  nearly  all  editors.  The 
Sinaitic,  however,  reads  in  you.  Ujito  Christ 
(««  Xpto-Toi')  is  that  to  which  a  Christian  is  eter- 
nally dedicated,  the  goal  of  all  his  living,  all 
his  experience,  all  development  of  character 
— whatever  he  is  or  does,  or  aspires  to  be  or  to 
do,  all  has  for  its  end  the  glory  of  Christ. 

(Titue2:14.) 

7.  For  we  have  great  joy  and  consola- 
tion in  thy  love — or,  by  occasion  of  thy  love — 
the  subjective  ground,  or  subordinate  motive, 


158 


PHILEMON; 


8  Wherefore,  though  I  might  be  much  bold  in  Christ 
to  eujoiu  thee  that  which  is  convenient, 

9  Yet  for  love's  sake  I  rather  beseech  thee,  being  such 
a  one  as  Paul  the  agtd,  and  now  also  a  prisoner  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

10  1  beseech  thee  for  my  sou  Onesiiuus,  whom  I  have 
begotten  in  my  bonds : 


8  Wherefore,  though  I  have  all  boldness  in  Christ  to 

9  enjoin    thee  that  whicli   is  befitting,  yet  for  love's 
sake  I  rather  beseech,  being  such  a  one  as  Paul  i  the 

10  aged,  and  now  a  prisoner  also  of  Christ  Jesus.     I 
beseech  thee  for  my  child,  whom  I  have  begotten 


1  Or,  an  ambassador,  and  now,  etc. 


for  this  tlianksgiving  and  prayer  was  the  joy 
and  consolation  he  found  in  the  reports  of 
Philemon's  love  to  all  the  saints.  (Phii.i :  i ;  coi.  2:5; 
1  ihess.  2:ia,  20;  3:9, 10.)  'We  have ' — the  oldest 
manuscripts  have,  I  had.  Because  the 
bowels  of  the  saints  are  refreshed  by  the 
brother.  'The  bowels' — or,  more  properly, 
the  nobler  viscera,  regarded  as  the  seat  of  the 
aflections,  the  heart.  The  reference  is,  at  least 
in  part,  to  the  hospitality  which  Philemon 
showed  to  the  ministers  of  Christ  on  their  mis- 
sionary journeys.  His  large-hearted  generosity 
and  kindness  had  refreshed  and  cheered  them 
in  their  work.  (tuusS:!.');  sjohne.)  'Brother'  — 
placed  last  for  emphasis  of  aifection,  and 
doubtless  by  its  tender  associations  designed 
to  prepare  the  way  for  the  appeal  which  fol- 
low.s.     Compare  (in  the  Greek)  Gal.  6:  18. 

8-31.  Appeal  of  Paul  to  Philemon  in 
Behalf  of  Onesimus,  a  Fugitive  Slave, 
Entreating  that  he  would  Receive  him 
Back  with  Favor. 

I.  8,  9.  Wniving  his  right,  as  an  apostle  to 
command,  Paul,  in  deference  to  the  claims  of 
looe,  chooses  rather  to  use  entreaty,  coynrnend- 
ing  it  to  his  regard  as  coming  from,  Paul  the 
aged,  and  now  also  a  prisoner  of  Christ. 
Wherefore — that  is,  since  I  have  these  evi- 
dences of  thy  faith  and  love.  Though  I 
might  be  much  bold  in  Christ  (hy  virtue  of 
my  relation  to  Christ)  to  enjoin  thee  that 
which  is  convenient  (fitting).  He  has 
authority  as  an  apostle  of  Christ  to  lay  as  an 
injunction  on  Philemon  that  which  is  morally 
fitting;  and  he  reminds  him  of  this,  in  order 
to  suggest  that  the  request  he  is  about  to  make 
is  right  and  fitting  in  itself  "  That  which  is 
ethically  suitable  —  thus  Paul  makes  that 
wliich  he  desires  to  oV^tain  from  Philemon, 
already  to  bo  felt  as  a  dut}'."  (Meyer.) 
Yet  for  love's  sake — having  respect  to  the 
claims  of  love.  "It  is  not  Philemon's  love 
(ver.  5, 7),nor  St.  Paul's  own  love,  but  love  ab- 
.solutoly,  love  regarded  as  a  principle  which 
demands  a  deferential  respect."  (Lightfoot. ) 
I   rather   beseech  thee — rather  than   com- 


mand, which  as  an  apostle  was  his  right.  Being 
such  a  one  as  Paul  the  aged,  and  now 
also  a  prisoner  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  adds 
force  to  the  entreaty  by  presenting  these  two 
affecting  facts  in  his  personal  condition:  (a) 
He  is  '  Paul  the  aged';  and  regard  might  well 
be  felt  to  the  request  t)f  an  old  servant  of 
Christ,  especially'  one  from  him  who  bore  that 
loved  name.  It  is  not  certain  what  Paul's 
precise  age  was  at  this  time.  But  if,  as  is  gen- 
erally supposed,  he  had  been  a  member  of  the 
Sanhedrin,  he  must  have  been  considerably 
past  thirty  at  his  coversion  A.  D.  36;  and  as 
this  Epistle  was  written  a.d.  62,  he  would  be, 
at  the  time  of  writing  this  Epistle,  nearly  or 
quite  sixty.  A  life  of  severe  toil  and  hard- 
ship, with  constant  bodily  infirmities,  had 
doubtless  made  him  old  in  appearance  and 
feeling  at  this  age.  Lightfoot,  with  less  prob- 
ability, translates :  Paul,  an  ambassador,  and 
takes  these  two  clauses  as  giving  the  ground  of 
his  authority  to  command;  adducing  in  sup- 
port of  this  view  Eph.  6  :  20,  "  an  ambassador 
in  bonds,"  and  several  instances  where  this 
word  (Trpeo-^uTT)?)  is  used  for  an  atnbassador. 
Thus,  also,  Westcott  and  Hort.  (6)  He  is 
now  'a  prisoner  of  Jesus  Christ';  being  now 
in  bonds  at  Rome  for  the  sake  of  his  Master, 
and  entitled  to  special  consideration  as  thus 
suffering  for  the  gospel. 

II.  10-13.  The  apostle's  appeal  is  for  a 
spiritual  child,  begotten  in  his  bonds.  Ones- 
imus, once,  indeed,  unprofitable,  but  now,  by 
his  changed  cliaracter,  profitable ;  whom  he 
sends  back,  thottgh,  in  so  doing,  he  is  sending 
his  very  heart.  I  beseech  thee  for  my  son, 
Onesimus,  whom  I  have  begotten  in  my 
bonds — rather,  for  my  child,  whom  I  begat  in 
my  bonds,  Onesimus.  Having  thus  favorably 
disposed  the  mind  of  Philemon,  he  now  dis- 
closes the  name  of  him. for  whom  he  inter- 
cedes; preparing  tlie  way  for  this,  however, 
with  two  propitiatory  considerations:  (a)  He 
is  Paul's  spiritual  child,  hiiving  been  led  to 
Christ  by  the  apostle,  {b)  He  was  converted 
when  Paul  was  in  prison,  and  was  thus  spe- 


PHILEMON. 


159 


11  Which  in  time  past  was  to  thee  unprofitable,  but 
now  piotitable  to  thee  and  to  me: 

12  Whom  I  have  >eiit  again:  thou  therefore  receive 
him,  that  is,  mine  own  bowels: 

1;J  Whom  1  would  have  retained  with  me,  that  in  thy 
stead  he  might  have  ministered  unto  me  in  the  bonds 
of  the  gospel : 

14  Hut  without  thy  mind  would  I  do  nothing;  that 
thy  benelit  should  not  be  as  it  were  of  necessity,  but 
willingly. 


11  in  my  bonds,  lOnesimus,  who  was  aforetime  nn- 
protilable  to  thee,  hut  now  is  profitable  to  thi/e  and 

12  to  lue:  whom  I  have  sent  back  to  thee  in  his  own 

13  person,  that  is,  my  very  heart:  whom  I  fain  woxld 
have   kept  with   me,  that    in   thy  liehalf  he  might 

14  mit)ister  unto  me  in  the  bonds  of  the  gospel :  hut 
without  thy  mind  I  would  do  nothing;  that  Ihy 
goodness  should  not  be  as  of  necessity,  but  of  free 


1  TUe  Greek  word  means  Help/ul. 


cially  dear  to  him.  'Begotten.'  Compare  1 
Cor.  4:  5,  as  also  Gal.  4:  19,  where  he  likens 
his  anxieties  to  the  birth-pangs  of  a  mother. 
'Onesimus' — the  name  signifies  useful,  profit- 
able. He  was  a  slave  of  Philemon,  of  Colosse, 
who  had  run  away  from  his  master,  and  at 
Rome  had  been  converted.  When  sent  back, 
in  company  with  Tychicus,  he  is  commended 
to  the  Colossian  Church  as  "a  faithful  and 
beloved  brotlier,  who  is  one  of  you."  (coi.  i  ■.  9) 
Which  in  time  past  was  to  thee  unprofit- 
able, but  now  profitable  to  thee  and  to 
me — a  play  on  the  significance  of  his  name. 
Once  he  belied  his  name,  in  that,  instead  ot 
profitable,  he  proved  unprofitable  to  thee  ;  but 
now,  since  his  conversion,  he  justifies  his  name, 
by  a  spirit  and  conduct  which  make  him  pro- 
fitable, and  that,  not  only  to  thee,  but  also  to 
me.  "  To  his  master  he  is  now  to  be  a  benefit, 
since  he  serves  him  better  than  before  ;  to  the 
apostle,  on  the  contrary,  he  is  to  be  such,  since 
he  is  a  fruit  of  his  labor,  and  to  be  his  rejoicing 
in  the  day  of  Christ."  (Van  Oosterzee. ) 
Names  among  the  Orientals  are  significant, 
expressive  of  something  in  their  experience  or 
character  or  prospects,   and  stress  was  often 

laid     upon     this     significance.       (Gen.l7:15;3-.!:28; 

Eutiiitio.)     Whom    I    have   sent    again — or, 

sent  back  to  thee  in  his  own  person.  Onesimus 
accompanied  the  letter,  (coi.  4:9.)  There  is 
no  evidence  that  he  was  sent  back  without  his 
own  consent ;  on  the  contrary',  all  the  circum- 
stances point  to  his  own  active  concurrence 
in  his  return.  Thou,  therefore,  receive 
him,  that  is,  mine  own  bowels.  The 
words:  'Thou,  therefore,  receive  him,'  of  the 
Received  Text,  are  wanting  in  the  best  manu- 
scripts. With  these  omitted,  it  is  as  if  he  had 
said  :  "  I  have  sent  him  back,  though  in  send- 
ing him  I  am  sending  my  very  heart,  so  dear 
is  he  to  me."  "The  person  beloved  is  called 
the  heart  itself,  because  he  occupies  so  large 
n  place  in  the  affections."     (Hackett. ) 

III,   13,  14.     IJe  would  fain,   indeed,   have  • 


retained  Onesimus  with  himself,  to  render,  in 
behalf  of  his  master,  service  to  him,  in  his 
bonds,  but  would  do  tiothing  without  Phile- 
mon^ s  consent,  that  such  a  kindness,  if  done  at 
all,  m,ight  be,  on  the  part  of  Philemon,  not  of 
necessity,  but  of  free  will.  Whom  I  would 
have  retained  with  me — or,  could  have 
wished  to  retain  with  me — or,  "would  fain 
have  kept  with  me" — that  is,  if  it  had  been 
proper,  had  it  been  best,  thus  to  do.  For  this 
use  of  the  Greek  imperfect  tense,  called  the 
inchoative  imperfect,  compare  Acts  25:22; 
Eom.  9:3;  Gal.  4:20.  "The  imperfect  of 
this  and  similar  verbs  is  notunfrequently  used 
where  the  wish  is  stopped  at  the  outset  by 
some  antecedent  consideration  which  renders 
it  impossible,  and  thus  practically  is  not  enter- 
tained at  all."  (Lightfoot.)  'I' — emphatic. 
/,  on  iny  part,  could  have  wished.  That  in 
thy  stead  he  might  have  ministered  unto 
me.  In  this  long  imprisonment,  though 
"dwelling  in  his  own  hired  house,"  he  was 
chained  to  a  Roman  soldier;  and,  thus  fettered 
in  his  personal  movements,  he  would  need 
many  services  such  as  a  devoted  and  helpful 
young  man  could  render.  'In  ihy  stead^ — 
he  assumes  that  were  Philemon  there  in  per- 
son, he  would  gladly  and  gratefully  render 
such  service  to  him,  since  he  owes  him  "even 
his  own  self."  (w)  In  the  bonds  of  the 
gospel — the  bonds  which  his  service  in  the 
gospel  had  occasioned — that  gospel  which  had 
brought  to  Philemon  eternal  life.  But  with« 
out  thy  mind  would  I  do  nothing.  He 
would  not  act  on  the  mere  assumption  of 
Philemon's  willingness;  for,  in  that  case,  the 
kindness  of  Philemon,  thmugh  the  service 
rendered  by  Onesimus  to  Paul,  might  have 
seemed  extorted,  rather  than  freely  bestowed. 
That  thy  benefit  should  not  be  as  it  were 
of  necessity — as  it  might  be,  or  at  least, 
might  seem  to  be,  if  he  retained  Onesimus  on 
the  assumption  of  Philemon's  consent.  But 
willingly  [of  free  will).     He  will  not  have 


160 


PHILEMON. 


in  For  perhaps  he  therefore  departed  for  a  season, 
that  thou  shouldest  rtceive  hiiu  for  ever; 

16  Not  now  as  a  servant,  but  above  a  servant,  a 
brother  belovedj  specially  to  me^  but  how  much  more 
unto  thee,  both  in  the  tiesh,  and  lu  the  Lord  ? 


15  will.  For  perhaps  he  was  therefore  parted /t-oto  thee 
for  a  season,  that  thou  sliouldest  have  him  for  ever; 

16  no  longer  as  a  i  servant,  but  more  than  a  '  ser- 
vant, a  brother  beloved,  specially  to  me,  b\it  how 
much  rather  to  thee,  both  in  the  flesh  and  in  the 


1  Gr.  bondservant. 


Philemon's  kindness,  in  granting  the  service 
t)f  Onesimus  to  him,  even  appear  as  a  matter 
of  constraint,  but  will  have  it  appear,  as  it 
would  be  in  fact  if  accorded,  a  favor  freely 
bestowed. 

IV.  15,  16.  Reason  for  a  kind  reception 
of  Onesimus,  founded  on  the  possible  design  of 
Providence  in  his  flight ;  since  it  was,  per- 
chance, God s  design,  in  the  temporary  separa- 
tion of  the  slave,  that,  through  his  co?iversion, 
he  might  be  restored  to  his  master  forever,  no 
longer  in  the  old  relation  of  slave,  but  in  the 
new  and  higher  one  of  a  Christian  brother, 
dear  to  the  apostle,  but  doubly  dear  to  him,. 
If,  then,  Philemon  regards  the  apostle  as  a 
sharer  with  him  in  the  gospel,  he  toill  receive 
Onesimus  in  such  manner  as  he  would  receive 
Paul  himself.  For — another  reason  for  the 
cordial  recej^tion  of  Onesimus:  Providence 
had  marvelously  interposed  to  overrule  what- 
ever had  been  wrong,  and  had  thus  presented 
a  new  aspect  of  the  flight  of  the  slave.  Many 
recent  interpreters  regard  the  'for'  as  present- 
ing an  additional  reason  for  sending,  rather 
than  retaining,  Onesimus;  but,  as  this  is  otily 
incidental  it  seems  far  more  probable  that 
Paul,  after  the  digression  (ver.  13,  u)  resunies  by 
this  word,  as  no  often  in  his  epistles,  the  main 
course  of  his  reasoning  for  the  kind  reception 
of  the  fugitive.  Perhaps  he  therefore  de- 
parted for  a  season  {was  parted  from  thee 
for  a  season)  that  thou  shonldst  receive 
him  forever — receive  hitn  [anexv^)-  "This 
peculiar  word,  as  applied  here  to  the  new 
spiritual  bond,  was  suggested  perhaps  by  the 
civil  relations  of  the  ]>arties  to  each  other.  It 
signifies  <o  ha/ve  in  ftill,  to  possess  exhaustively, 
and  hence  the  meaning  here  is  that  Philemon, 
in  gaining  Onesimus  as  a  Christian  brother, 
had  come  into  a  relationship  to  liim  which 
nifide  him  all  his  own,  and  forever  (aiioviov) ." 
CHackett.)  '  For  a  season' — literally,  for  an 
hour — that  is,  for  a  very  brief  period,  con- 
trasted with  '  forever.'  Compare  2  Cor.  7:8; 
Gal.  2:5;  1  Thess.  2: 17.  It  perhaps  suggests 
that  Onesimus  had  not  been  long  parted  from 
his  master.     The  apostle  conceives  here  of  the 


whole  transaction,  as  seen  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  divine  purpose,  as  a  part  of  God's 
providence;  and  hence  he  does  not  say,  "on 
this  account  he y?e(/,"  but,  "  on  this  account  he 
was  parted  from  thee."  Thus  Joseph,  though 
sold  into  bondage  by  the  wickedness  of  his 
brethren,  when  speaking  of  the  transaction  as 
a  piirtof  God's  providential  plan,  says  to  them, 
"God  did  send  me  before  you  to  preserve 
life."  (Gen.  45:5.)  Whatever  the  human  motives 
in  Onesimus'  flight,  God's  providence,  of  which 
it  formed  a  part,  overruled  it  for  his  high  pur- 
poses. The  brief  separation  had  resulted  in 
Onesimus'  salvation.  He  had  left  Colosse  a 
wicked,  ungodly  man  ;  he  was  returning  a  re- 
deemed saint.  The  relation  of  master  and 
slave,  as  before  existing  was  temporary-,  ter- 
minating with  death  ;  the  relation,  as  now  ex- 
isting, in  its  new  and  higher  scope,  when  both 
were  Christians,  was  eternal  and  indissoluble. 
Not  now  as  a  servant  {slave)f  but  above  a 
servant  (slave),  a  brother  beloved.  He 
would,  indeed,  have  him  as  his  own  forever, 
but  in  a  wholly  changed  relation.  Though 
Onesimus  might  not  be  manumitted,  and 
before  the  Roman  law  might  remain  a  slave, 
yet  he  could  no  longer  be  to  Philemon  as  a 
slave.  The  new  and  higher  relation  of  a 
brother  in  Christ  threw  into  the  background, 
and  made  as  of  no  account,  the  old  and  earthly 
relation  ;  for  in  the  brotherhood  of  the  saints 
there  is  "  neither  bond  nor  free,  but  Christ  is 
all  and  in  all."  (Coi.3:ii.)  The  common  union 
of  master  and  slave  to  Christ  made  them  mor- 
ally equal,  as  one  in  him,  and  placed  them  on 
the  same  footing  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  as 
alike  redeemed  from  sin  and  its  power,  and 
alike  made  heirs  of  the  heavenly  inheritance. 
Specially  to  me — specially  beloved — as  being 
his  son  in  the  faith,  and  as  having  ministered 
to  him  in  his  imprisonment.  But  how  much 
more  unto  thee^  both  in  the  flesh  and  in 
the  Lord — as  a  memberof  thy  household,  and 
as  a  fellow  believer  in  Christ.  'In  the  flesh, 
and  in  the  Lord  ' — "  specifies  the  two  domains 
in  which  Onesimus  will  be  to  him  yet  far  more 
a  beloved  brother  than  to  the  apostle,  namely, 


PHILEMON. 


161 


17  If  thou  count  iiie  therefore  a  partner,  receive  him 
as  my  sell'. 

IS  It"  he  halh  wronged  thee,  or  oweth  thee  aught,  put 
that  on  mine  account; 

19  I  Paul  have  written  il  with  mine  own  hand,  I  will 
repay  it:  albeit  I  do  not  say  to  thee  how  thou  owest 
unto  me  even  thine  own  self  besides. 

20  Yea,  brother,  let  me  have  joy  of  thee  in  the  Lord: 
refresli  my  bowels  in  the  Lord. 


17  Lord.    If  then  thou  countest  nie  a  partner,  receive 

18  him  as  myself.    But  if  he  hath  wronged  thee  at  all, 

19  or  owetli  thi:e  aught,  put  that  to  mine  account ;  I 
Paul  write  it  with  mine  own  hand,  1  will  repay  it: 
that  I  say  not  unto  thee  how  thai  thou  owest  to  me 

20  even  thine  own  self  besides.  Yea,  brother,  let  rue  have 
'joy  of  thee  in  the  Lord:  refresh  my  heart  in  Christ. 


1  Or,  keip. 


in  the  flesh — that  is,  in  the  sphere  pertaining  to 
the  material  nature  of  man,  in  things  conse- 
quently that  concern  the  bodily  life  and  needs, 
and  171  the  Lord,  that  is,  in  the  higher  spiritual 
Z(/e-s^/ie?'eof  fellowship  with  Christ."  (Meyer.) 
If  thou  count  me  therefore  a  partner — 
that  is,  a  partaker  with  thee  of  the  Christian 
faith  and  hope.  The  word,  in  this  relation, 
has  the  idea  of  an  intimate  friend,  but  one  who 
is  such  in  consequence  of  sharing,  in  common 
with  the  speaker,  in  the  interests,  feelings,  and 
hopes  of  the  gospel.  The  apostle  thus  dis- 
tinctly makes  the  case  of  Onesimus  his  own, 
and  asks  his  kind  reception  on  the  ground  of 
the  Christian  friendship  existing  between  him- 
self and  Philemon.  Receive  him  as  myself 
— receive  him  with  all  the  favor,  kindness, 
friendship  with  which  thou  wouldest  receive 
me.  "What  joy  would  have  entered  the 
abode  of  Philemon,  if  the  captive  apostle  had 
suddenly  and  unexpectedly  stood  before  their 
eyes  in  the  possession  of  his  recovered  liberty  ! 
Such  a  reception  he  now  wishes  that  Onesimus 
maj^  enjoy  in  the  house  of  his  master."  (Van 
Oosterzee. ) 

V.  18-21.  Whatever  wrong  or  debt  is 
chargeable  to  Onesimus,  the  apostle  requests 
m,ay  be  placed  to  his  account,  and  promises, 
over  his  own  signature,  to  tnake  good;  remind- 
ing Philemon,  however,  that,  as  indebted  to 
him  for  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  he  owes  the 
apostle  far  more,  even  his  own  self,  and  clos- 
ing with  an  expression  of  confidence  that 
Philemon  will  do  even  more  than  is  asked.  If 
he  hath  wronged  thee,  or  oweth  thee 
aught.  'If — not  as  if  this  were  doubtful. 
It  is  the  if  of  concession — seeing  he  has 
wronged  thee.  He  concedes  that  Philemon 
had  been  wronged.  Put  that  on  mine  ac- 
count. Whether  the  wrong,  or  debt,  here  re- 
ferred to  consisted  in  a  robbery  of  his  master, 
the  consequences  of  wliich  Onesimus  had 
sought  to  escape  by  flight,  or  consisted  simply 
in  the  wrong  done  by  his  clandestine  flight 
and  the  consequent  loss  of  his  service,  cannot 


be  certainly  determined.  The  hypothetical' 
form  in  which  it  is  presented  is  supposed  by 
some  to  favor  the  latter  supposition.  But' 
whatever  the  cause  of  the  damage  or  debt,  the 
apostle  wishes  it  charged  to  himself,  as  to  be 
made  good  by  him.  'Put  that  on  mine  ac- 
count'— though  his  debt,  nevertheless  reckon 
it  as  mine.  Compare  the  only  other  use  of  the 
verb  (Eom.  513),  where  it  is  rendered  imputed. 
Here  the  apostle  asks  that  the  debt,  actually 
incurred  by  another,  be  itnputed,  reckoned  to 
him. 

19.  I  Paul  have  written  it  with  mine 
own  hand.  I  will  repay  it.  He  thus  signs 
his  name,  as  to  a  bond.  In  the  same  way,  he 
attests  his  epistles  by  his  signature,  (icor.  i6: 
21;  coi.4: 18;  2Thes8.3:i7.)  In  this  instance,  it  is 
possible  that  the  entire  Epistle  was  written  by 
his  own  hand;  most  of  the  others  seem  to  have 
been  penned  by  an  amanuensis,  Paul  simply 
adding  a  few  words  to  attest  them.  (Rom.  le :  22.) 
Albeit  I  do  not  say  to  thee  how  thou 
owest  unto  me  even  thine  own  self  be- 
sides. Philemon  had  received  the  knowl- 
edge of  salvation  from  Paul ;  he  owed  to  the 
apostle,  therefore,  himself,  in  the  highest  sense, 
in  all  that  belonged  to  his  spiritual  life  and 
hope.  Compare  Luke  9:  25.  'Besides' — in 
addition  to  that  which  I  have  declared  my 
readiness  to  pay.  Paul  had  begotten  him  in 
the  gospel,  and  he  was  indebted  thus  for  his 
very  being,  as  a  Christian,  to  the  apostle;  a 
debt  transcendently  greater  than  any  the  slave 
could  owe  his  master.  The  argument  in  this 
verse  is  serious  and  valid  ;  but  the  delicate 
aroma  of  pleasantry  with  which  it  is  invested 
suggests  that  the  apostle,  with  all  the  weight 
of  care  resting  on  him,  was  not  devoid  of 
humor,  to  relieve  the  graver  side  of  his  char- 
acter and  give  vivacity  to  his  ordinary  inter- 
course with  others. 

20.  Yea,  brother,  let  me  have  joy 
(profit)  of  thee.  The  emphasis  is  on  me.  He 
makes  the  cause  of  Onesimus  his  own  ;  and 
Philemon,  in  receiving  the  fugitive   kindly, 


162 


PHILEMON. 


21  Having  confidence  in  thy  obedience  I  wrote  unto 
thee,  knowing  that  thou  wilt  also  do  more  than  I  say. 

22  But  withal  prepare  me  also  a  lodging:  for  I  trust 
that  through  your  prayers  1  shall  be  given  unto  you. 


21  Having  confidence  in  thine  obedience  I  write  unto 
thee,  knowing  that  thou  wilt  do  even  beyond  what 

22  I  say.  But  withal  prepare  me  also  a  lodging:  for  I 
hope  that  through  your  prayers  I  shall  be  granted 
unto  you. 


will  be  conferring  favor,  comfort,  on  Paul 
himself.  It  is  I,  not  Onesimus,  who  will  thus 
have  profit,  joy,  from  thee.  Frojit — alluding 
in  the  verb  used  (hvaiixriv)  to  the  name  (Onesi- 
mus—jorq;?<a6^e)  of  hiui  for  whom  he  is  plead- 
ing. The  verb  is,  in  this  case,  all  the  more 
expressive  in  that  it  is  commonly  used  to  ex- 
press the  comfort,  help,  a  parentshould  receive 
from  a  child.  As  if  he  had  said :  I  send 
Onesimus  (the  profitable  one)  to  thee ;  do  thou, 
by  thy  Christian  reception  of  him,  send  an 
Onesimus  (profit)  to  me.  Let  me  have  joy, 
by  knowing  that,  with  true  Christian  noble- 
ness, thou  dost  forgive  his  flight,  and  welcome 
him  to  thy  heart  as  a  brother  in  Christ.  In 
the  Lord — the  sphere  of  the  joy,  or  profit,  he 
sought.  It  was  not  selfish  and  carnal,  but 
spiritual  joy.  Refresh  my  bowels  in  the 
liord.  Paul's  heart  had  been  burdened  in 
reference  to  this  matter ;  he  would  receive  re- 
freshing, spiritual  relief  and  comfort,  in  Phile- 
mon's cordial  reception  of  the  returning  fugi- 
tive. The  gravest  consequences  might  follow 
an  opposite  course  on  the  part  of  Philemon. 
A  fugitive  slave  was  generally  treated  with 
great  cruelty.  He  was  tortured,  or  maimed, 
or  sent  to  the  quarries  and  mines,  or  even  cru- 
cified, at  the  command  of  an  angry  master. 
Such  conduct  in  a  Christian  master  would  dis- 
credit the  highest  teachings  of  the  gospel,  and 
utterly  misrepresent  its  spirit  before  the  world. 
The  moral  and  spiritual  equality  of  master 
and  slave  in  the  church,  also,  would  be  seri- 
ously compromised,  if  Philemon  refused  to 
recognize  the  new  relation  in  which  Onesimus 
now  stood  as  a  brother  in  the  Lord.  The  case 
of  the  returning  Christian  slave  was,  there- 
fore, of  most  serious  import,  not  simply  as  it 
affected  Onesimus  himself,  but  also  as  it  stood 
related  to  the  Christian  religion  before  the 
world  and  in  the  church  ;  and  it  might  well 
lie  as  a  burden  on  Paul's  heart,  till  it  was 
settled  by  Philemon's  reception  of  Onesimus 
in  the  true  spirit  of  the  gospel  and  with  the 
full  recognition  of  his  new  position  as  a  Chris- 
tian. 

21.  Having  confidence  in  thy  obedi- 
ence, I  wrote  unto  thee.  He  would  not 
have  Philemon  feel  that  this  urgency  of  en- 


treaty arose  from  distrust  of  his  love  and  obe- 
dience; while  yet,  by  the  use  of  the  word 
'  obedience  '  he  delicately  hints  at  his  apostolic 
right  to  command.  Knowing  that  thou 
wilt  also  do  more  than  I  say.  He  is  confi- 
dent that  his  friend  will  even  surpass  in  his 
kindness  what  has  been  asked.  Whether  this 
excess  in  Philemon's  fulfillment  of  Paul's  re- 
quest refers  to  some  special  favor,  not  formally 
asked,  as  Onesimus'  legal  manumission,  mak- 
ing him  a  freedman,  cannot  be  determined. 
Alford,  Hackett,  and  most  commentators  in- 
terpret the  words,  as  probably  hinting  at 
manumission.  Meyer  and  Ellicott  quite  de- 
cidedly dissent  from  this  view.  But  whatever 
may  be  the  fact  as  to  the  legal  relation, 
Wordsworth  has  well  said:  "  By  Christianiz- 
ing the  master,  the  gospel  enfranchised  the 
slave.  It  did  not  legislate  about  mere  names 
and  forms,  but  it  went  to  the  root  of  the  evil — 
it  spoke  to  the  heart  of  man.  When  the  heart 
of  the  master  was  filled  with  divine  grace,  and 
was  warmed  with  the  love  of  Christ,  the  rest 
would  soon  follow.  The  lips  would  speak 
kind  words;  the  hands  would  do  liberal  things. 
Every  Onesimus  would  be  treated  by  every 
Philemon  as  a  beloved  brother  in  Christ." 

22-25.  Closing  Directions  and  Salu- 
tations, WITH  THE  Benediction. 

22.  But  withal  prepare  me  also  a  lodg« 
ing.  Together  with,  and  in  addition  to  this 
kind  reception  of  Onesimus,  be  preparing  a 
lodging  for  me.  "The  request  for  such  hos- 
pitality ....  would  serve  also  indirectly  to 
enforce  Paul's  application  for  Onesimus. 
Who  could  be  willing  to  disappoint  the  be- 
loved apostle,  and  compel  him  in  person  to  see 
how  little  regard  had  been  paid  to  his  re- 
quest?" (Van  Oosterzee.)  Thus  also,  Meyer, 
and  most  interpreters.  It  was  Paul's  original 
intention,  after  visiting  Kome,  to  go  thence  to 
to  Spain  (Rom.  is :  24. 28),  but  his  plans  have 
changed,  as  he  is  now  expecting  to  go  to 
Ph  ilippi  (Phil.  2 :  24),  and  also  to  Colosse.  '  Lodg- 
ing' — this  may  mean  a  lodging  which  should 
be  hired  for  him,  or  an  entertainment  as  guest 
at  Philemon's  house.  Paul  thus  courteously 
refrained  from  assuming  that  his  friend  would 
entertain  him,  although  this  was  doubtless  the 


PHILEMON. 


163 


23  There  salute  thee  Epaphras,  my  fellow  prisoner  in  j  23      Epaphras,   my  fellow-prisoner   in    Christ   Jesus, 


Christ  Jesus , 

24  Marcus,  Aristarchus,  Demas,  Lucas,  my  fellow 
labourers. 

2)  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  your 
spirit.    Amen. 


24  salulelli  thee;   and  so  do  Murk,  Aristarchus,  Demas, 
Lulce,  my  fellow-workers. 

25  The  grace  ol  '  our  L^jid  Jesus  Christ  be  with  \  our 
spirit.    2  Amen. 


1  Some  ancient  auihoiities  read  the i  Many  ancient  authorities  omit  Amen. 


result.  For  I  trust  that  through  your 
prayers    I    shall    be    given     unto    you  — 

'  given' — "liberated  in  favor  of  you."  (AotsS: 
u;  27:24.)  Theword  denotes  the  granting  of 
something  in  answer  to  a  request.  '  Through 
your  prayers'— the  means  through  which  the 

favor  was    obtained.       (Aotsl2  :5;  2Cor.  l  :ll  ;  Phil.  l: 

19;  cji.  4:3.)  The  expectation  here  expressed  of 
release  and  of  further  missionary  work,  also 
appears  in  another  epistle  written  about  this 
time  (Phil- 1  :i9-.i6;  2:24)  ;  and  the  probability  is 
that,  after  the  release,  he  actually  visited  these 
places,  as  here  indicated. 

23.  There  salute  thee.  The  persons  men- 
tioned here,  as  sending  salutations,  are  the 
same  as  those  named  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Colossians,  which  accompanied  this ;  except 
in  the  omission  here  of  "Jesus,  which  is  called 
Justus."  (Col.  4: 10-14.)  Epaphras^  my  fellow 
prisoner  in  Christ  Jesus.  He  was  a  pres- 
byter of  the  church  in  Colosse,  but  was  at  this 
time  with  the  apostle  at  Kome,  and  was  appar- 
ently sharing  his  imprisonment.  As  in  Colos- 
sians, he  is  called  a  "fellow  laborer,"  and 
Aristarchus,  a  "  fellow  prisoner,"  it  is  possible, 
as  Meyer  suggests,  that  these  attendants  of 
Paul  voluntarily  took  turns  in  ministering  to 
him  in  his  place  of  confinement  (an  arrange- 
ment quite  conceivable  in  the  freer  position  he 
enjoyed  in  this  first  Roman  imprisonment, 
when  he  "dwelt  in  his  own  hired  house"); 
and  hence  one  at  one  time,  and  another  at 
another,  would  be  Paul's  "fellow  prisoner." 
Epaphras  was  an  eminently  useful  and  zealous 
servant  of  Christ,  of  whom  the  apostle,  when 
commending  him  to  the  Colossians,  speaks,  as 
a  "  dear  fellow  servant,  who  is  for  you  a  faith- 
ful minister  of  Christ,"  "laboring  fervently 
for  you  in  prayers,"  "having  a  great  zeal  for 
you,  and  for  them  that  are  in  Laodicea,  and 
them  in  Hieropolis."  He  has  been  supposed 
to  be  the  same  as  Epaphroditus,  mentioned  in 
Phil.  2  :  15,  as  the  name  is  the  same,  only  ab- 
breviated, but  it  seems  fatal  to  this  that  Epa- 
pbroditus  was  not  of  Colosse  but  of  Philippi, 
and  had  been    sent  to  Kome  from  that  city, 


whereas  Epaphras  was  sent  there  from  Colosse. 

(Pliil.  2:25;  Col.  1:7;  4:  12.) 

24.  Marcus — John  Mark,  cousin  of  Barna- 
bas (Acts  12 :  12, 25),  who  accompanicd  Paul  and 
Barnabas  as  far  as  Perga  on  the  first  mission, 
and  was  afterward  refused  by  Paul,  when 
proposed  for  the  second  mission.  (Acts  is :  is ; 
15 :  38.)  Here,  it  is  evident,  he  has  been  again 
admitted  among  the  attendants  of  the  apostle. 
Tradition  holds  him  as  the  author  of  the 
second  gospel.  Aristarchus — a  Thessalonian, 
who,  with  Gains,  was  caught  and  dragged 
into  the  theatre  by  the  mob  at  Ephesus,  was 
with  Paul  when  he  returned  from  Corinth  to 
Asia,  and,  accompanying  him  to  Rome,  is 
mentioned  as  a  "fellow  prisoner"  with  him 

there.         (Actsl9  :29;  20:4;  27:2;  Col.  4:10.)      DemaS 

— a  name  here  honorably  associated  with  Paul's 
fellow  laborers  in  Rome;  but,  in  the  apostle's 
second  imprisonment  there,  he  deserted  him, 
"  having  loved  this  present  world."  Whether 
this  indicated  a  permanent  or  only  a  temporary 
failure  of  his  Christian  life  is  uncertain.  (2  Tim. 
4:10.)  Lucas — the  Evangelist  Luke,  author 
of  the  Third  Gospel  and  of  the  Acts.  He  is 
called  "  the  beloved  physician  "  ;  and  possibly 
as  Paul's  health  was  suffering,  especiallj^  on 
his  second  mission,  when  Luke  comes  first 
into  connection  with  him,  he  may  have  acted 
as  his  physician,  as  well  as  fellow  laborer. 
Singularly  modest,  he  makes  his  presence  or 
absence  in  the  apostolic  company  known  in 
the  Acts  only  bj'  the  use  of  the  pronoun  of  the 
first  or  the  third  persons  ;  but  it  is  evident  that 
he  spent  a  large  part  of  his  life  with  the  apostle. 
(Col.  4: 14;  2  Tim.  4:11.)  See  notc  in  that  place. 
My  fellow  'abourers.  The  wonderful  power 
of  Paul  is  seen  in  the  attracting  to  himself, 
and  the  inspiring  to  evangelical  work,  of  the 
large  body  of  assistants,  who  are  constantly 
either  laboring  with  him,  or  performing  ser- 
vice in  different  parts  of  the  world  under  his 
direction. 

25.  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
be  with  your  spirit.  Amen.  The  shorter 
benediction,  (oai.  6:  is  12  Tim.  4: 22.)  'Your  spirit': 


164 


PHILEMON. 


the  pronoun  'you'  is  plural,  because  including 
with  Philemon,  Apphia,  Archippus,  and  the 
church  in  Philemon's  house,  (ver.  2.)  It  in- 
vokes on  their  spirit  the  free,  rich  favor  of 
Christ,  with  all  the  fullness  of  blessing  it 
brings.  'Amen':  not  in  the  authoritative 
manuscripts.  The  subscription  here,  as  in  the 
other  epistles,  has  no  authority. 

"Among  the  old  manuscripts  there  are  two 
which  record  at  the  end  that  Onesimus  had  his 
legs  broken  on  the  rack  on  the  cross  at  Eome, 


and  so  gained  the  rewards  of  martj^rdom. 
And  with  this  thought,  not  perhaps  histori- 
cally confirmed,  but  so  entirely  in  harmony 
with  the  vicissitudes  of  that  age  of  the  first 
confessors,  we  may  turn  our  eyes  from  this 
record  of  lowly  life  on  earth,  upward  to  the 
scene  where  the  Lord's  servants,  though  thej' 
may  have  been  the  slaves  of  men,  are  exalted 
and  ennobled  forever  on  thrones  which  he  has 
prepared  for  them."     (Hackett.) 


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